VOLUME 6 ISSUE 46 | WWW.NSJONLINE.COM | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2022
Home COVID tests to be covered by insurers starting Saturday Washington, D.C. Starting Saturday, private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans. The Biden administration announced the change as it looks to lower costs and increase testing for the virus amid rising frustrations. Under the new policy, Americans will be able to either purchase home testing kits for free under their insurance or submit receipts for the tests for reimbursement, up to the monthly per-person limit. A family of four, for instance, could be reimbursed for up to 32 tests per month. Only tests purchased on or after Jan. 15 will be required to be reimbursed, the administration said. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cooper energy order calls for increase in electric vehicles, 50% of new sales by 2030 Raleigh Gov. Roy Cooper’s Jan. 7 executive order affirming a “commitment to a clean energy economy” would direct the state to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and create what he calls “green energy economic opportunities.” “Transforming North Carolina toward a clean energy and more equitable economy will provide good jobs and a healthy environment for generations of families across our state. To achieve our goals we must be clear, intentional and determined,” Cooper said in a statement. The order calls, but does not give specifics for, an increase in zero-emission vehicles and for 50% of new vehicle sales to be zero-emission by 2030. It also directs the N.C. Department of Transportation to develop a “Clean Transportation Plan” with reductions in vehicle miles traveled; increases in zeroemission cars, trucks, and buses; and other unnamed strategies. NSJ STAFF
Tax season begins 2 weeks early due to virus, IRS funding Washington, D.C. This year’s tax filing season will begin on Jan. 24, 17 days earlier than last year, the Internal Revenue Service announced. The IRS is warning that a resurgence of COVID-19 infections on top of less funding authorization from Congress than the Biden administration had requested could make this filing season particularly challenging. “The pandemic continues to create challenges, but the IRS reminds people there are important steps they can take to help ensure their tax return and refund don’t face processing delays,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said. He urged taxpayers to file their returns electronically and to get their refunds by direct deposit. April 18 is the deadline for filing tax returns or requesting an extension. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ortega sworn in for 4th straight term as Nicaragua’s leader Managua, Nicaragua Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega was sworn in for a fourth consecutive term following elections considered rigged and followed by sanctions from the United States and European Union against members of his government. Ortega, 76, oversaw the jailing of opposition leaders, including seven potential challengers for the presidency, months before the November election. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, left, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the president, testify before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine the federal response to COVID-19 and new emerging variants, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Walensky, Fauci acknowledge COVID-19 hospitalization differences NCDHHS adds CDC’s ‘Test to Stay’ to K-12 school guidance Test to Stay reinforces masking in schools By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) updated the guidance for K-12 schools to include “Test to Stay” options on Jan. 7. “Protecting our students and staff requires layers of protection to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said State Health director and chief medical officer Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, M.D. “In addition to vaccines and masks, Test-toStay is another proven tool that can help minimize the spread of COVID-19 while also maximizing time in the classroom.” Near the end of 2021, NCDHHS updated guidance to mirror Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shortened quarantine measures. The StrongSchoolsNC Toolkit (SST) has now been updated to allow students and staff who had a close contact with someone confirmed to have a case of COVID-19 to remain in school if they have not developed symptoms or tested positive. “Individuals in a mask-required school setting do NOT need to be excluded from school after a close contact, including unmasked exposures (e.g., during lunch or extracurricular activities), if they have no symptoms,” reads the updated section of the SST. The qualifying criteria given by NDHHS for staying in school under “Test to Stay” are as follows: The person exposed has had their COVID-19 vaccinations. For adults 18 and up, vaccination includes booster shots. The person exposed has had a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the last 90 days and has no symptoms. The person exposed and the person with a confirmed case of COVID-19 were both properly wearing masks when the exposure occurred. According to the NCDHHS
press release, adding “Test to Stay” has expanded the list of scenarios to include unmasked exposures such as when students unmask to eat lunch. The Jan. 7 update also says that “Individuals with unmasked exposures in a mask required school setting should get tested on the day of notification of exposure and as close to day 5 after exposure as possible and must wear a mask in school settings.” Additionally, that exemption “applies to in-school exposures as described above as well as non-household, out-ofschool exposures.” In-household exposures do not qualify, but the new guidance gets more confusing, stating that a person doesn’t need to be excluded from the school setting but that “quarantine measures may still apply in non-school settings.” The update also gives priority for testing to student athletes due to higher risk of exposure “if testing supply is limited.” NCDHHS says this Testto-Stay option “only applies to K-12 school settings that require masks,” which the agency claims “data has shown limits the risk of transmission.” Districts taking part in “Test to Stay” will ensure those exposed to COVID-19 get tested the day they are notified of an exposure and again five days after. They should also wear a mask for 10 days following exposure and except for going to school, they should stay home and isolate. The Center for Disease Control’s quarantine and “Test to Stay” guidance also uses 10 days of masking following an exposure. Various media reports cite experts claims that cloth masks, which the public has been using from close to the start of the pandemic, are ineffective against the omicron variant. The push to continue masks as a requirement to keep kids in school was brought up and questioned at the State Board of Education meeting on Jan. 6. During that meeting, Tilson See NCDHHS, page A2
By Matt Mercer North State Journal RALEIGH — Recent public comments from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease director Dr. Anthony Fauci appear to confirm that hospitalizations with, and for, COVID-19 are indeed happening nationwide. Since April 2020, North State Journal has followed hospitalization reports in North Carolina, making numerous public records requests for hospitalization demographics before the data was made publicly available in June of 2020. In an appearance on Fox News Sunday on Jan. 9, Walensky confirmed that there were fewer than
3,500 pediatric hospitalizations nationwide from COVID-19 and the CDC estimates that up to 40% of the patients in hospitals only find out they have COVID-19 after being tested. “While pediatric hospitalizations are rising, there are still about 15-fold less than hospitalizations of our older-age demographics,” Walensky said. When pressed further by Baier, Walensky also said that the CDC did not have a split on numbers of all patients in hospitals for COVID-19 or with COVID-19, despite having run the agency for close to a year. She did say that those numbers would be forthcoming but did not give a timetable on when they would be released. See COVID-19 page A2
Homicide rates in NC cities remained elevated in 2021 By David Larson North State Journal
numbers remained in this lower range, but did not hear back by
RALEIGH — After two record-breaking years in a row, 2021 homicide rates in North Carolina cities seemed to ease slightly in some places but remained at greatly elevated levels compared to conditions before the 2019 nationwide spike. Among the state’s four largest cities — Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Durham — two of them, Charlotte and Greensboro, broke records in 2020 for homicide. Both cities are now reporting a slight decline in homicides in 2021, while Durham is reporting a significant increase. Raleigh, despite having a much-larger population of 468,000 compared with Greensboro’s 299,000 and Durham’s 284,000, has maintained a lower homicide rate compared with these nearby Piedmont cities. While cities across the country and state had spiking homicide rates in recent years, Raleigh had 29 in 2019 and 27 in 2020. These numbers are comparable to other years before the spike such as 2017, when the city also had 27 homicides. And despite much smaller populations, Durham and Greensboro both had higher 2020 homicide totals than Raleigh’s 27, with 33 and 62 respectively. NSJ called public information officers with Raleigh’s police department to inquire if their initial 2021
See HOMICIDE, page A2
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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THE WORD: A STRANGE, INDEFINABLE SOMETHING
Ephesians 5:15-18
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 15
Every one of us casts a shadow. There hangs about us, a sort of a strange, indefinable something, which we call personal influence — that has its effect on every other life on which it falls. It goes with us wherever we go. It is not something we can have when we want to have it — and then lay aside when we will, as we lay aside a garment. It is something that always pours out from our lives . . . as light from a lamp, as heat from flame, as perfume from a flower. The ministry of personal influence is something very wonderful. Without being conscious of it, we are always impressing others by this strange power that exudes from us. Others watch us — and their thinking and actions are modified by our influence.
“Liberty’s story” Visit us online nsjonline.com
North State Journal (USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365) Neal Robbins Publisher Matt Mercer Editor in Chief Cory Lavalette Managing/Sports Editor Frank Hill Senior Opinion Editor Emily Roberson Business/Features Editor David Larson Associate Editor Lauren Rose Design Editor Published each Wednesday by North State Media, LLC 3101 Industrial Dr., Suite 105 Raleigh, N.C. 27609 TO SUBSCRIBE: 704-269-8461 or online at nsjonline.com Annual Subscription Price: $50.00 Periodicals Postage Paid at Raleigh, N.C. and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: North State Journal 1201 Edwards Mill Rd. Suite 300 Raleigh, NC 27607
PUBLIC DOMAIN
“St. Peter Healing the Sick with His Shadow” by Tommaso Masaccio (1426) is a painting in the Basilica of Our Lady of Carmel in Florence, Italy.
Treasures from J.R. Miller, Christian pastor and former editorial superintendent of the Presbyterian Board of Publication from 1880 to 1911.
NCDHHS from page A1
COVID-19 from page A1
said she had provided some studies which show that masks work in “totality.” Tilson was asked specifically about cloth masks versus N95 masks. Currently, N95 masks are not designed for children. She said that “anything on your face is better than nothing” and that “multi-layered, well-fitting cloth masks still provide good protection.” She admitted there was data that said an N95 provided more protection. “With children, what is particularly important is the comfort and the fit of that face covering,” Tilson told the board. She added they have N95 masks available at NCDHHS warehouse to give to adult school staff and that for students “a multi-layered, well-fitted cloth mask” still “provides good protection.” Board member Olivia Oxendine asked where natural immunity falls in NCDHHS’ school guidance. Tilson did not directly answer the question, and instead cited “lowered” and “inconsistent” protection from prior infections against the omicron variant. The change to the SST comes as states like Georgia are dropping quarantine and contact tracing for K-12 schools. According to the Associated Press, Georgia’s governor and public health commissioner released a letter on Jan. 6 stating school employees no longer have to quarantine after exposure, even if they are unvaccinated or test positive for the virus if they wear a mask and don’t develop symptoms. “The letter also says contact tracing in schools is now optional, meaning schools may no longer have to notify other students or employees exposed to people who are sick with COVID-19,” the Associated Press reported.
The appearance came after a Friday report from the CDC, which said that while the hospitalization rate of children is near the highest point since the pandemic began, the overall hospitalization rate among children and teens is still lower than that of any other age group. And they account for less than 5% of average new daily hospital admissions. At a briefing, Walensky said the numbers include children hospitalized because of COVID-19 and those admitted for other reasons but found to be infected, The Associated Press reported. The CDC also said during the briefing that the surge could be partially attributable to how COVID-19 hospitalizations in this age group are defined: a positive virus test within 14 days of hospitalization for any reason. The severity of illness among children during the omicron wave seems lower than it was with the delta variant, said Seattle Children’s Hospital critical care chief Dr. John McGuire. STEVEN SENNE | AP PHOTO “Most of the COVID+ kids in the hospital are actually not here A nurse suits up with protective gear before entering a patient’s room at the COVID-19 Intensive Care for COVID-19 disease,” McGuire Unit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, in Lebanon, N.H., Jan. 3, 2022. said in an email. “They are here for other issues but happen to actually be receiving treatment a COVID-19 vaccine, the overall have tested positive.” Additionally, Newsweek re- for “a broken leg or appendicitis,” rates remain much lower than “While pediatric ported on Dec. 31, 2021, that Dr. rather than for severe reactions any other age group. In North Carolina, data from hospitalizations are rising, Anthony Fauci downplayed the to the virus. Fauci also added during the the N.C. Department of Health rise of children in the hospital as same media briefing with Wal- and Human Services dashboard there are still about 15-fold the omicron variant spread. During one of his frequent ap- ensky that many children hos- shows that currently, just 2.3% less than hospitalizations pearances on MSNBC, he said pitalized with COVID-19 have of COVID-19 hospitalizations are that some of the children cur- other health conditions that for pediatric patients. Statewide, of our older-age rently being treated at medical make them more susceptible to 3,850 total patients were hospi- demographics.” facilities were hospitalized with complications from the virus talized with COVID-19. NCDHCOVID as opposed to “because including obesity, diabetes and HS has not disclosed the percentages there due to COVID-19 itself CDC Director Rochelle Walensky lung disease. of COVID.” Despite the data showing even and those who test positive when He added that some children who are currently listed as being at the current height in an age hospitalized for an unrelated in the hospital with COVID may group not currently eligible for condition or illness.
HOMICIDE from page A1 press time. Charlotte, by far the state’s largest city, with 875,000 residents, saw a record-breaking 117 homicides in 2020, but they reported that their year-end number for 2021 had fallen to 96. Even with this reduction, the 2021 numbers are still far higher than what the city had been used to before the 2019 national surge in homicides, with only 57 homicides in 2018. Ronald Glenn, public information officer for the Greensboro Police Department, told NSJ on Jan. 10 that Greensboro, which also broke their city’s homicide record in 2020, with 62 homicides, saw a reduction to 53 in 2021. “I don’t know that it’s any one thing that necessarily did it; it
was probably a combination of things,” Glenn said on why homicides had seen some improvement over the prior year. Glenn said one major thing that they believe had yielded results was an extra focus on “trying to confiscate more of the illegal guns and getting guns off the street.” He also said they focused on “trying to use the data we have available to make sure we’re putting the resources in the right places.” Another major area of focus was looking at violent repeat offenders and getting them off the street, since they are among the most likely to commit future violent crimes. The last thing he mentioned was building and maintaining community relationships. Many departments note
this effort is key at the moment due to strained relationships between law enforcement and many citizens. “All of those things combined probably led to the reduction we’re seeing this year and hopefully continue to see,” Glenn said. Asked whether he believes the numbers would continue to come down and maybe return to the much-lower rates of the past, Glenn said, “You always hope that those numbers are getting lower and you’re doing things to help reduce the likelihood that crime occurs in your community. So, at this point, I don’t know if we’d necessarily say that we know what those numbers will be accurately in the next few years. But of course we’re going to continue to take every step and every mea-
sure we can to help reduce those numbers.” Durham, on the other hand, was not able to report a reduction in homicides this year. After not seeing quite the spike as other cities, with 33 in both 2019 and 2020, Durham has seen their homicide totals jump to 45 in initial reports to media. A point of contrast in the numbers, however, is that there were more shootings in 2020, but fewer of them were deadly; while in 2021, there were fewer shootings, but more of them were deadly. In the fall, the Durham Police Department put out a 2021 Stop the Gun Violence public service announcement to bring the community’s attention to the problem. In the PSA, Sgt. Joshua Brigante said, “We see on the news
constantly the number of shootings is in the hundreds — last year it was pushing 1,000 — so you’d think that around every corner there’s somebody with a gun ready to shoot. But through our investigations, we’ve learned that the percentage of the population that’s committing a lot of these shootings is very low compared to the number of shootings that are actually happening.” Brigante then asked the community for their help in getting this small number of people off the street. Overall, the comparison between 2020 and 2021 homicide numbers in North Carolina’s biggest cities is a mixed bag. While there are some potential signs for optimism, violence didn’t slow significantly or across the board.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Gov. Cooper extends vaccination and testing requirements for certain state employees Order extension allows redefinition of fully vaccinated to include booster shots
Congressman Bishop fires off letter over national monoclonal antibody supply By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — During a Jan. 4 COVID-19 briefing, Gov. Roy Cooper announced he would be extending a previous executive order requiring vaccination or testing for certain state employees. “This week, I’ll extend Executive Order 224 which requires vaccines or testing of state employees,” Cooper said. “When I extend the order, the Office of State Human Resources will have the authority to include boosters in the definition of being up to date on vaccines when CDC takes that action.” The announcement came as Cooper’s statewide COVID-19 state-of-emergency order turns 665 days old. Under Executive Order 224, all state employees falling under cabinet-level authority were required to either provide proof that they are fully vaccinated or be tested at least once a week for COVID-19. Executive Order 224 expired Aug. 31, 2021, however, the State Office of Human Resources put policies in place that began Sept. 1, 2021. State employees refusing to comply with the policies could be disciplined or fired. The extension is effective immediately and will expire April 5, 2022. Executive Order 224 originally defined fully vaccinated as someone who is two weeks out from having received the second dose in a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series (Pfizer or Moderna), or someone two weeks from a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine (Johnson & Johnson). Under the extension, OSHR “will be given the authority to include boosters in the definition of fully vaccinated when appropriate.” Cooper was asked if he is tracking state employee booster shots with regard to extending his executive order. He said that
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Nurse Ray Akindele processes COVID-19 rapid antigen tests at a testing site in Long Beach , Calif., Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. when the CDC makes that decision that boosters are part of the new definition of fully vaccinated that his order will reflect that as “part of the requirement for state employees.” Cooper also urged the public to get vaccinated or to get a booster shot. He said that he and his family have received booster shots. He also said that vaccination “is the strongest protection we have to fight this virus and live normal lives” and made the claim that “most people with COVID in the ICU right now” are unvaccinated. Interim N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Secretary Kody Kinsley also claimed that “over 87% of individuals in the hospital right now are unvaccinated.” Only one reporter asked about the emerging new oral antiviral treatments. There were no direct questions about the state’s supply of Monoclonal Antibody treatments despite increasing complaints from numerous states that the Biden administration has severely cut off their supply of those treatments. In previous briefings, Cooper had indicated that the state’s supply of monoclonal antibody
treatments was ample, but in the Jan. 4 briefing he said all COVID treatments are in “very limited supply.” Kinsley also made a statement about limited supply. “Because supply is limited per federal guidance, treatments will be used for those at highest risk of severe disease,” said Kinsley. He added the best treatment is “prevention” and urged the public to get vaccinated or boosted right away. During questions from the media, Kinsley was asked about the “scramble for testing.” He responded that they anticipated continued elevated levels of demand for testing. Cooper admitted there were a “record number of tests” administered over the holidays. He later said that two additional rapid tests have been authorized by the FDA and will put “millions more” tests on the market. Kinsley said that both NCDHHS COVID guidance and the StrongSchoolsNC Toolkit have been updated with the latest CDC information, which includes reduced quarantine length. He also said they are continuing to review adding “Test to Stay” policies to the toolkit.
RALEIGH — North Carolina Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-09) has sent a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra inquiring about the Biden administration’s actions related to monoclonal antibody treatments. The letter, obtained by North State Journal, cites Becerra’s agency changing the distribution process for the antibody treatments on Sept. 13, 2021. “Foremost among the changes, treatment administration sites could no longer order supplies of monoclonal antibodies directly from the supplier,” Bishop wrote. “Additionally, HHS cemented its complete control over distribution, dictating how many units of monoclonal antibodies would be appropriate for each state. This model essentially created a Soviet-style health care rationing where states and regions with higher level of COVID “It is transmission were left waiting for federal action.” unthinkable Bishop went on to write that he has learned from healthcare professionals at the Scotland Health that Care System in Laurinburg are “desperate” to ob- American tain more of the antibody treatments and are being lives are at forced to ration supplies among their patients. “It is unthinkable that American lives are at risk risk because because the federal government is withholding the federal desperately-needed treatments,” wrote Bishop. “As HHS is currently controlling all modes of monoclo- government nal antibody distribution to American medical pro- is viders, it is incumbent upon your agency to procure and distribute sufficient amounts of these import- withholding ant treatments to meet Americans’ needs.” desperatelyBishop went on to say that medical providers in the United States should not be forces to ration care needed just because the federal government has taken over treatments” the process. He also included two questions for Becerra, one of which asked what steps he and his agenU.S. Rep. Dan cy are taking to obtain and distribute more doses to Bishop meet demand. The other question asked the HHS secretary if he (NC-09) was considering lettering medical providers order the treatments directly or allow those providers to demonstrate need for more doses. There have been increasing complaints from numerous states that Biden administration has severely cut off their supply of monoclonal antibody treatments. Providers around North Carolina, including the one mentioned by Bishop, have made similar complaints. During a Jan. 4 COVID-19 briefing, Gov. Roy Cooper was asked questions about the state’s supply of monoclonal antibody treatments which he remarked are “in very limited supply.” In previous briefings during late summer and even into fall of 2021, Cooper had indicated that the state’s supply of monoclonal antibody treatments was ample. At that same Jan. 4 briefing, interim N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley also referenced limited treatment supplies. “Because supply is limited per federal guidance, treatments will be used for those at highest risk of severe disease,” said Kinsley. He added the best treatment is “prevention” and urged the public to get vaccinated or boosted right away.
Jesse Watters appears on Fox News “The Five” in New York on Oct. 10, 2019.
MARY ALTAFFER | AP PHOTO
Jesse Watters is Fox News’ new 7 p.m. Eastern host The Associated Press NEW YORK — Fox News Channel has given its 7 p.m. Eastern hour on weeknights to opinion host Jesse Watters, whose star has risen at the network with the ratings success of “The Five,” where he is one of the regular panelists. Watters will remain on “The Five,” but will give up his Saturday night show “Watters’ World,” Fox said on Monday. Fox’s Martha MacCallum used to host a more news-oriented pro-
gram at 7 p.m., but a year ago the network moved her to daytime when rival Newsmax began getting traction at that hour with host Greg Kelly, although Fox has said the change wasn’t related. For the past year, Fox has rotated a series of guest hosts, including Watters, doing opinion shows at 7 p.m. “Jesse’s versatility and hosting acumen has grown exponentially over the last five years, and he has developed a deep connection to the audience,” said Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox News Media.
The announcement came less than three weeks after Dr. Anthony Fauci said that Watters should be fired for using the phrase “kill shot” in a speech urging young conservatives to confront Fauci in a hostile interview. Fox said that Watters’ words had been taken out of context. Particularly in the past year, Fox has beefed up its opinion content. Watters will be followed in the evenings by Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.
Watters, 43, started with Fox News in 2002 as a production assistant and quickly gained an on-air role conducting hostile man-on-the-street interviews for then-Fox star Bill O’Reilly. He was elevated to his own weekend show and a role on “The Five” in 2017. That talk show, with the format of four conservative commentators and one Democrat talking about the news of the day, has surged in popularity, often reaching more viewers than Fox’s prime-time lineup. One panelist, Greg Gut-
feld, started his own late-night show on Fox last year, while Dana Perino co-hosts a morning show. There’s no word on whether Watters’ mother will follow him. In a recurring segment on “The Five,” Watters reads on the air critical texts sent by his liberal mother, including once in 2019 when she wrote, “Please be assured that despite your wretched political orientation I love you forever.” He’ll start at 7 p.m. on Jan. 24. His show will be called “Jesse Watters Primetime” — something of a misnomer since television prime time begins at 8 p.m. on weeknights.
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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Murphy to Manteo
MLK’s history in NC
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Buncombe County A Pennsylvania man has been arrested for writing graffiti and for breaking windows at Asheville’s city hall which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Reece Sebastian Jaksec, 22, was arrested on Thursday on several charges, including damage to real property and placing and exhibit with intent to intimidate. Jaksec wrote graffiti with profanity on the side of a city building on Dec. 11. On Dec. 31, he threw rocks which damaged windows at City Hall. Jaksec had been banned from all Asheville city parks after being charged with trespassing and resisting arrest.
Avery County Several people were hurt at a ski resort when a damaged hydrant sprayed a blast of water onto skiers riding above on a lift, prompting several skiers to jump. Management at Beech Mountain Resort said a guest skied into the water and air hydrant while snowmaking operations were underway. Video on social media shows skiers on the chair lift getting hit by blasts of water. Two people were taken to an area hospital by Avery County emergency medical workers with injuries that were not life-threatening. The person who skied into the hydrant was not injured. AP
By Matt Mercer North State Journal
Rocky Mount
RALEIGH — Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, one of the most prominent law firms in the southeast, which has two offices in North Carolina, announced the launch of KTS Strategies as a new wholly owned subsidiary to assist clients throughout all levels of government, according to a statement obtained by NSJ. According to the firm, as of Jan. 1, 2022, the firm’s well-known government-relations team will serve clients’ needs as part of KTS Strategies. “When representing clients before Congress and federal, state, and local agencies, we serve diverse industries on a wide array of subject matters,” Ches McDowell, senior managing director of KTS Strategies, said in the statement. “We develop winning advocacy strategies, connect clients with government decision makers at the highest levels, draft and analyze legislation, counsel clients regarding compliance with laws and regulations, and prepare and accompany witnesses for testimony before government committees and in agency hearings and
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Several skiers hurt at ski resort after hydrant struck
Police: Pennsylvania man vandalized city hall
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Kilpatrick Townsend rebrands government affairs practice as KTS Strategies
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Monday, Jan. 17 will mark the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. Established by Congress in 1983, the day is set aside to mark his call for nonviolent social change in the 1960s. King is known to have visited cities in North Carolina on at least five occasions, making visits to Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh and Rocky Mount. It is his Rocky Mount visit that only in recent years has become more well-known. In 2015, a film reel was discovered by an N.C. State University professor at the city’s library that showed a version of the famous “I Have a Dream” speech he would later deliver in Washington, D.C. That speech, in 1962, would vault King into his role as a national leader. He would later win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Jones & Blount
North Carolina Central University
Greensboro
Career coach sentenced to prison for stealing federal funds
Child touches downed powerline, burned by electric shock Iredell County A child was burned by an electric shock after coming in contact with a downed powerline near a school. Iredell County emergency officials said the child was taken to a hospital with injuries from an electric shock after touching a downed powerline. The Mooresville Graded School District said a student walking on property adjacent to Mooresville Intermediate School made contact with a powerline downed by recent storms. The child was taken to Lake Norman Regional, then flown to Carolinas Medical Center, officials said. The child was conscious at the time.
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Catawba County A career coach received a two-year prison sentence after her conviction for stealing $68,000 from a federally funded workforce development program and using it for herself. Jessica Anne Miller, 39, of Hickory was sentenced on a wire-fraud charge. Between July 2016 and November 2019, Miller worked as a career coach for a group contracted by a nonprofit association of local governments. Miller diverted federal funds to herself by creating fraudulent documents, falsifying signatures, and making false and misleading statements. Miller cashed mileage reimbursement checks intended for students enrolled in the program and kept the proceeds for herself.
Man convicted of setting fire in federal forest Macon County Casey Lee Evans, 42, of Franklin was convicted of intentionally setting a fire that burned more than 70 acres of federal land. Law enforcement determined that Evans willfully started the April 2020 fire, which started within the Nantahala National Forest. The fire burned for several days before it was brought under control. It burned approximately 70 acres of federal land and 20 acres of private property. Evans was convicted of willfully setting a fire on federal land, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Rutherford County Brent James Bockes, 50, was charged in connection with the death of his wife after authorities tracked him to Tennessee, where they found his missing daughter unharmed. Bockes is charged with first-degree murder, robbery and larceny of a motor vehicle. Riley Harper Bockes, 3, who had been the subject of an Amber Alert, was found unharmed. Officers found Deana Michelle Bockes dead inside her home. Rutherford County deputies found a stolen car that was involved in a crash in Murfreesboro. Brent James Bockes and the girl ran from the scene before he was taken into custody at a motel. AP
Man arrested in 35-year-old kidnapping case Wake County A man has been arrested on charges stemming from the kidnapping of a 4-yearold South Carolina girl in 1986. Wake Forest police assisted the Lexington County, South Carolina, Sheriff’s Office in arresting Thomas Eric McDowell, 61, at his home. Authorities filed multiple charges against McDowell, including murder, kidnapping and burglary. Deputies said McDowell lived in Lexington County in 1986 when Jessica Gutierrez was murdered. The child disappeared from her home on June 6, 1986, and was never seen again, according to a release from the FBI.
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School bus service suspended due to driver COVID-19 cases Guilford County High school students won’t be able to ride school buses for at least two weeks because a large number of drivers are temporarily out of work after testing positive for COVID-19. Guilford County Schools said Friday that 76 of the district’s drivers are out of work with the virus. Local government leaders have agreed to give free rides on Greensboro and High Point city buses to students. Parents are also being asked to take their children to school if possible. Students with special needs will be able to continue to use district buses. AP
investigations. The team looks forward to continuing to represent our outstanding clients from our new platform.” With more than 600 attorneys and legal professionals across nearly 20 offices, the firm says it is able to provide comprehensive policy and advocacy advice to national and international companies, governments, individuals, nonprofits and coalitions on issues with high-stakes consequences. “The KTS Strategies team brings decades of experience representing local municipalities, corporate transportation entities, nonprofit organizations, statewide associations, government vendors and Fortune 500 companies,” added McDowell. “We have won countless victories, defeated many adverse bills and proposals, restored reputations and frequently secured ‘a seat at the table’ for our clients.” The KTS Strategies team has been at the forefront of the legislative process in a broad range of roles, both in the state and federal arenas, and have longstanding relationships with key decision makers and influencers throughout the country. KTS Strategies will have office space in both Raleigh and Winston-Salem, as well as in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
Sheriff’s office loses 2 members in 2 days
Deputy disciplined over handling teen on bus Scotland County A deputy has been suspended without pay and demoted after a confrontation with a teenager on a school bus in November. Scotland County deputy Sheronica Smith was removed from her position as a school resource officer, demoted from sergeant to road deputy, suspended seven days without pay and will have to go through mandatory de-escalation training. Smith was responding to a 14-yearold girl and her brother who didn’t want to sit in their assigned school bus seats. Smith and the girl came face-to-face. Smith used force to stop the teenager, but it was neither excessive nor continuous.
Robeson County The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office said a detention officer and a deputy died on successive days. Larry Morgan, 74, died last Wednesday in Lumberton after experiencing a medical emergency at his home shortly after his shift ended. Morgan began his career as a detention officer in 2008 and retired in 2017. Deputy Welton Locklear, 63, was on duty and assisting with a funeral escort and suffered a heart attack in the church parking lot. Church members administered CPR before he was taken to UNC Southeastern, where he died. Locklear joined the sheriff’s office in 1994 as a detention officer. AP
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Man charged in wife’s death; daughter unharmed
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Three people killed in early-morning fire Pitt County An early-morning fire at a mobile home has left three people dead. Pitt County Fire Marshal Jay Morris said the fire broke out early Sunday morning in a doublewide mobile home behind a house in Bell Arthur. He said two people escaped the fire, but three others died. The cause of the fire is still undetermined, but it appears to have been electrical, Morris said. Officials said the structure is a total loss. In a Facebook post, The Red Oak Fire Department asked for prayers for the family involved.
KTS Strategies’ Nelson Freeman, Ches McDowell, and Fritz Vaughan are shown in this combination photo.
Former state Sen. Andrew Brock running for Davie County clerk of court By Matt Mercer North State Journal
Rev. Barber tests positive for COVID-19, says symptoms mild Wayne County The Rev. William Barber II announced Wednesday night that he has tested positive for coronavirus. The Goldsboro minister and civil rights leader said in a statement that he tested positive as part of his regular testing routine. He said his symptoms are mild so far and he’s following CDC guidelines to notify his close contacts and isolate for five days. Barber is the national president of the civil rights nonprofit Repairers of the Breach and the cochair of the Poor People’s Campaign. AP
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RALEIGH — A former state senator from Davie County is making a run for a new office. Andrew Brock, a Republican, served in the N.C. Senate from 2003 through 2017. He represented Davie and Rowan counties in the state legislature before he resigned upon receiving an appointment to the Division of Employment Security’s state Board of Review. Now, Brock is looking to stay closer to home and is running for Davie County clerk of Superior Court. He served a four-year term on the Board of Review, which is an independent, quasijudicial body charged with deciding higherauthority appeals regarding unemployment benefits and other disputes between the
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division and employers. A lifelong Davie County resident, Brock said on his social media that he is seeking the office due to what he calls “the overwhelming support of those in Davie County who want a proven statesman in the office.” He says he brings years of leadership, efficiency, and constituent service with his previous work in public office. “My commitment to serving people was the main reason I was humbly elected eight terms to the NC Senate,” said Brock. Each county’s clerk of Superior Court is responsible for all clerical and recordkeeping functions of the district, superior courts and judges probate and has exclusive original jurisdiction over matters relating to the probate of wills and presides over other legal matters.
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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
north STATEment Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
VISUAL VOICES
EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL
Beware the incoming legislative MIRVs
Smaller politically targeted MIRVesque bills can leave more of a bruise on an elected official than a massive omnibus bill if their constituents really want it.
MULTIPLE INDEPENDENTLY targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) were intercontinental ballistic missiles developed in the 1960s and 70s that could carry three nuclear warheads. The last MIRV was decommissioned by the Obama Administration in 2014. MIRVs had the terrifying prospect of multiple nuclear warheads being launched on a single missile that could reach three unknown targets of the Soviet Union instead of only one, such as Moscow. “Build Back Better” (BBB) has the terrifying prospect of coming back to life in smaller bills each with its own poll-tested and targeted legislative “warhead” over the next few months. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) himself might be negotiating for a bill that will help West Virginians right now as you are reading this. Trying to pass gargantuan budgets under complicated reconciliation rules is a lazy way to get things done in Washington. Ball up as many goodies, tax provisions and giveaways as possible in two thousand pages of Washingtonese, and, the thinking goes, everyone will get something they want so they won’t vote against the whole thing in the end. “Log-rolling” at its worst. James Madison invented it in the Continental Congress, so blame him for it. “Pass the bill so we can find out what we got for our constituents!” is the mantra of such big government progressive socialist Democrats. BBB took the gold medal for proposing to give away trillions and trillions of dollars in free child care, health care, community-college tuition and sops to big failing newspapers and media outlets. It purported to raise taxes only on rich people — who have the means to avoid them — but it also would have given away over $1 trillion in tax cuts to very wealthy people in New York, California and Illinois through repeal of limits on SALT (state and local tax) deductions. The biggest surprise was that the cost of BBB wasn’t $10 trillion instead of “only” $5 trillion It is much harder to pass individual bills. It takes a lot more work to prepare for, debate, negotiate and then pass much smaller, more narrow bills. Each bill has to pass on its own individual merits. At least it makes proponents of any new legislation work for it. What else are they going to do in Washington? Some smart, enterprising young progressive socialist staffer is probably working with smart Democratic pollsters and consultants to
come up with 10 of the most popular parts of BBB in ranked order so they can then try to pass them in succession in this election year. Assume Democratic pollsters find that free child care for everyone is the most popular with the American people, then the Free Child Care for Everyone (FCCE) bill would be the first one introduced by AOC and The Squad in Congress, and debate would ensue for days, maybe even weeks. The goal of the Democrats would, of course, be to pass the bill in Congress. Their backup position would be to put every vulnerable Republican on the spot in an election year and make them have to vote yes or no, for all of their constituents to see, on poll-tested popular programs. Smaller politically targeted MIRV-esque bills can leave more of a bruise on an elected official than a massive omnibus bill if their constituents really want it. The problem the Democrats have is that everything they want to pass costs a lot of money. There are only four ways to pay for any new bill: raise taxes, borrow money, cut spending in other treasured social programs and inflation. Everyone knows Democrats love to raise taxes on the rich. What most people don’t realize is those “taxes on the rich!” eventually “trickle down” to the middle class because limits and thresholds are not indexed to inflation. Millions of Americans found out this truth to their chagrin with the Alternative Minimum Tax before the AMT was dramatically restricted under the Trump tax cuts of 2017. President Joe Biden has already unleashed policies which are setting all kinds of records with “transitory inflation” that is not so transitory any longer. At an annual inflation rate of 7%, as we are currently experiencing, the policies of President Biden and the progressive socialists will have the national debt paid off in no time. Maybe that was their plan in the first place. They could have at least told us. Beware of the smaller MIRV bills. BBB is not completely dead yet.
EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS
Virginia I-95 fiasco reminds us it’s a good thing Gov. Ralph Northam is out the door
“We gave warnings, and people need to pay attention to these warnings, and the less people that are on the highways when these storms hit, the better.” Gov. Northam on storm chaos
NO ONE WAS HAPPY to see the images and videos from I-95 in Virginia on Monday and Tuesday of last week. Per a Google map of traffic, for a roughly 90-mile stretch of interstate, thousands of drivers were stranded after a winter storm dumped snow and ice on the region, causing roadways to be icy and, in many cases, virtually impassable. A truck at the head of the pack early on in the storm reportedly jack-knifed, which caused a ripple effect for those behind it. Some drivers, including Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine, reported being stuck for over 24 hours with little to nothing to eat. Though there were stories of scattered heroism over that period of time, including some drivers passing along food, drink and blankets to other drivers, the situation proved to be a nightmare for Gov. Ralph Northam and the Virginia Dept. of Transportation, both of whom drivers blamed for their predicament. The drivers had a strong case against Northam and the VDOT. For starters, Northam appeared MIA until Tuesday, which was likely the reason why some Democrats took to the Twitter machine on Tuesday morning last week to mistakenly blame Gov.elect Glenn Youngkin. But, Youngkin, the Republican who beat Democrat gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe in the fall election, won’t be sworn in until later this week. One, whose name we’ll leave out of this piece in the interest of sparing them further
embarrassment, initially tweeted her displeasure with Youngkin’s supposed handling of the crisis, saying, “Hundreds are stranded on I 95 in Virginia for hours. Does Gov Youngkin care? Of course not. Proof Virginia voted for the wrong person for GOV.” Less than three hours later and after numerous people pointed out that Northam was still governor, she gushed praise on the outgoing governor. “Thank goodness. Gov Northam has put together teams to clear the highway and take stranded driver[s] food and drinks. He cares.” While one would expect that type of convenient 180 from Twitter liberals, one would hope the response from state officials to criticism would be a little more measured, mature and contrite. But it wasn’t. Last Wednesday, after the traffic tie-ups on I-95 were cleared and everything got back to normal, the Washington Post reported that Northam was taking no responsibility whatsoever for what happened and instead blamed drivers. “While expressing sympathy for stranded motorists, Northam said more should have heeded warnings to stay off the roads,” the paper noted before quoting Northam’s comments. “We gave warnings, and people need to pay attention to these warnings, and the less people that are on the highways when these storms
hit, the better,” he stated. The following day, he doubled down in a combative interview with WRVA radio, saying he was “sick and tired” of the criticism and lashing out at reporter Matt Demlein. “I don’t know why you’re sitting there saying ‘What went wrong?’” Northam raged. “Why don’t you start asking some of these individuals that were out on the highways … why did you feel it was so important to drive through such a snowstorm?” While it’s good — and pretty standard advice from state officials — to advise people not to get on the roads if they don’t have to when bad weather events like this one are forecast, it strikes me as extremely poor form — not to mention bad leadership — to blame the people who got stuck, especially when you don’t know the circumstances for why they were on the road in the first place. It was one more on a long list of reminders as to why it’s a good thing that Northam is headed out the door effective Saturday, when Youngkin gets sworn into office. Media analyst Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022 COLUMN DAVID HARSANYI
COLUMN | MARY ZAHRAN
Biden and the incredible world of progressive politics When oil prices increased, Biden asked OPEC countries to produce more oil for us, making a move that even Neville Chamberlain would have considered humiliating.
SINCE JOE BIDEN moved into the White House last January and the Democrats took control of both houses of Congress, the world of progressive politics has been on full display for all Americans to see. No longer hiding in his basement or pretending to be a moderate candidate, Biden jumped aboard the progressive express on day one of his presidency. In a marathon signing session that should have given him carpal tunnel syndrome, Biden issued enough executive orders in the hours following his inauguration to threaten our energy independence, our economy and our national security. Nearly one year later, we have had to endure the incredible policies and actions Biden and his progressive cohorts have heaped upon us. When I use the word “incredible” to describe Biden’s administration, I do so as a criticism, not a compliment. While the word can be used to describe something as good or great, it can also describe something that is difficult or impossible to believe. In Biden’s case, the latter meaning applies. In less than a year, the president has made an incredible series of bad decisions that have put America on a dangerous path. One of the first policies Biden enacted destroyed our energy independence. Under Trump, we became energy independent for the first time in almost 65 years. When Biden shut down the Keystone Pipeline in an effort to pacify the climate-change wing of his party, he reduced our capacity to produce oil; as a consequence, we have had to import more from other countries. When oil prices increased — as they naturally do when demand exceeds supply — Biden asked OPEC countries to produce more oil for us, making a move that even Neville Chamberlain would have considered humiliating. To no one’s surprise (except Biden’s), they refused. As incredible as our energy situation is, Biden created another situation in the financial world that is even more incredible. In a story that could have come straight out of the “Babylon Bee,” Biden’s nominee to be the comptroller of the currency — Saule Omarova — is a woman born and raised in Kazakhstan and educated at Moscow State
University on a Lenin Academic Scholarship. That’s Moscow, Russia, not Moscow, Idaho. During her confirmation hearing, Omarova, whose job as comptroller would be to oversee our banking system, expressed her desire to end banking “as we know it” by federalizing banks. Although she criticized our free market economy, Omarova praised the former Soviet Union’s system of equal pay for men and women. Omarova withdrew her nomination after several Democratic senators privately expressed their opposition to confirming her. The incredible part of this story is that she was even nominated at all. What made Biden think it would be a good idea to put a communist in charge of America’s banks? Other incredible actions by this progressive administration include their insistence that our southern border is closed when we have irrefutable proof that it is wide open, as nearly two million illegal immigrants have come in since Biden took office. They also insisted that inflation is “transitory,” but that claim has proved to be false. Our current inflation rate of 6.8% is the highest in four decades, and there is no indication that it will abate any time soon. Yet Biden thinks we should pass a bill that will cost trillions of dollars. Progressives seem surprised by the dramatic increase in crime in many American cities. In a recent speech, Nancy Pelosi seemed perplexed at this increase, insisting she didn’t know the reason for it. Apparently, she hasn’t connected the progressive policies of defunding the police and eliminating cash bail — even for violent criminals — with this crime wave. Finally, let’s not forget Biden’s most incredible blunder, his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which the president called an “extraordinary success.” I think the American citizens and Afghan allies Biden left behind would describe this withdrawal differently. In the past year, instead of enjoying the achievements of a great leader, we have endured the failures of a weak president. Biden’s progressive administration has indeed been incredible, but in all the wrong ways.
COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE
Save the children, fire the teachers unions Ronald Reagan, in the first year of his presidency, in 1981, he fired thousands of illegally striking air traffic controllers
IT STARTED in Chicago, where an incredible 91% of union teachers voted to go on strike and refused to do what they get paid to do, which is teach. Then the union walkouts spread to Maryland, New Jersey and California. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a liberal Democrat, has attacked the Chicago teachers unions for “holding kids hostage.” She is right. Why doesn’t she call a state of emergency and disband the union to save the children from the union terrorists? Or tear up the contract because the unions have violated it? If she did, she would be a hero. President Joe Biden keeps talking about how much he and his fellow Democrats in Washington care about “the children.” Uh-huh. He has correctly stated that there is no health reason for closing schools. But in this latest episode of union child abuse waged against our school-age children, he does nothing. Maybe that is because more than 90% of the tens of millions of campaign dollars donated by the teacher unions go to Democrats. It is time for a Ronald Reagan moment. In the first year of his presidency, in 1981, he fired thousands of illegally striking air traffic controllers. He broke the back of a militant union that put public safety at risk by refusing to show up to work. The airlines continued to operate, and the havoc that the unions were trying to impose on our national transportation system was averted thanks to Reagan’s bold decision. Let me be clear: There is no health or safety excuse whatsoever for teachers and students to be in the classroom, as the first wave of COVID-19 should have taught us. The nearly incontrovertible evidence shows that school closures have no positive effect on the spread of COVID-19. Many studies have shown that keeping children at home can increase the spread when students and teachers not in school are instead in the community, where infections spread more quickly. A Journal of Global Health systematic review of 90 studies found that “opening educational establishments may not predispose children and adolescents to a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to adults. On the contrary, children and adolescents were more than 2-fold greater risk of infection in household and community settings than in schools. The school attendance may serve as a protective factor, which reduces children’s chances of community contacts in a relatively isolated environment during school hours.” But the emotional and educational progress to children from school closures can be devastating.
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McKinsey found that students ended the last school year, on average, five months behind in math and four months behind in reading. Another study from the Ohio State University found that “districts with fully remote instruction experienced test scores declines up to three times greater than districts that had in-person instruction for the majority of the school year.” The left loves to talk about social justice and income inequality. However, the children most adversely affected by the school lockdowns are poor, of a minority and below the median academic achievement. For top-achieving motivated students, remote learning can work just fine. For those who need schools the most, the underachieving, online learning is basically the same as no schooling. What to do? It is time for a national revolt against the evil empire of teachers unions that has become the worm in the apple of our education system. How outrageous it is that parents, taxpayers and politicians have to beg teachers to teach. The fact that more than 9 in 10 Chicago teachers don’t want to teach tells us of the dismal quality of the people we are putting in front of our children. What is the solution? First, if teachers walk out on our children, they should be fired and banned from ever teaching in a public school again — just as happened with the illegally striking air traffic controllers. Second, this is a school-choice moment for America. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has correctly issued an executive order in his state declaring that if any school district shuts down, he will redirect the education dollars directly to the parents so they can send their children to private or religious or home schools that are open and teaching the students. What is clear is that handing over political control of our schools to the unions has done irreparable damage to our children. They are the virus injuring the health and well-being of our children. But it is also true that if we, as citizens and voters, allow this hostage-taking to continue, then we are responsible for the damage. We are to blame if we keep electing politicians who genuflect to militant unions. We need a heroic Reagan moment to end this tragedy. It stops now. Free our children. Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at Freedom Works. He is also author of the new book: “Govzilla: How The Relentless Growth of Government Is Devouring Our Economy.”
BE IN TOUCH
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Schumer’s ugly ‘voting rights’ gamble IN A DEAR COLLEAGUE letter last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that if Republicans refuse to support the Democrats’ unconstitutional efforts to nationalize elections, he will move to eliminate legislative checks and balances by blowing up the filibuster. “As former Senator Robert Byrd famously said, Senate Rules ‘must be changed to reflect changed circumstances,’” Schumer argued. “Put more plainly by Senator Byrd, ‘Congress is not obliged to be bound by the dead hand of the past.’” And by the “past,” Schumer means only a couple of years ago, when he led a record 300-plus filibusters during Donald Trump’s presidency. In 2005, when Republican George W. Bush was president, Schumer, coincidentally, also warned that eliminating the legislative filibuster was a “doomsday” for democracy. “The checks and balances which have been at the core of this republic are about to be evaporated by the nuclear option,” Schumer said. “The checks and balances which say that if you get 51% of the vote, you don’t get your way 100% of the time.” Indeed. And to avoid looking like a conniving, power-hungry, partisan hypocrite with absolutely no respect for the institution he serves, Schumer rationalizes his assaults on norms by pretending the nation faces an existential threat to “democracy.” And so, Schumer has fused together two of the contemporary left’s most cynical and pernicious projects. First, the trashing of the filibuster, part of a broader effort to create a more direct democracy that can ram through massive, unalterable policy changes with the slimmest of majorities in the shortest of windows. Democrats attempted to do as much with their abuse of the reconciliation process but have thus far failed. Now, Schumer proposes nationalizing elections by overturning the will of voters and compelling states to adopt chaotic voting regulations that he believes will favor Democrats in the long run. But no one has a “right” to vote without an ID. No one has a “right” to ballotharvest. And many Democrats’ proposals, as in empowering the federal government to mandate gerrymandering and forcing taxpayers to finance congressional campaigns, have absolutely nothing to do with voting rights — nor do proposals meant to dismantle First Amendment protections. Obsessed with rolling back Citizens United, Democrats have proposed forcing organizations that engage in political discourse to disclose their donors, creating more bureaucratic impediments for those who engage in speech. On the voting front, House Democrats have passed a bill that would compel states to count mail-in votes that arrive up to 10 days after Election Day; require states to allow ballot-harvesting; coerce states to ban voter ID laws; induce states to allow felons to vote; and mandate 15 days of early voting, automatic voter registration and online voter registration. OK, I’ve run out of synonyms for “force.” None of this is the federal government’s business, anyway. If Democrats truly believe that voter integrity laws in Georgia or Texas are threatening democracy, they would see them adjudicated in the courts, not used as a pretext to further upend the system in a power grab. Most of the state regulations that Democrats claim are Jim Crow 2.0 simply undo some of the anarchic COVIDera rules and reinstate standards that exist in many blue states and basically all Western nations. If we embraced the Democrats’ evolving definition of “voting rights,” we’d also be forced to treat every election before 2020 as completely illegitimate. Now, it’s unlikely that Schumer will succeed. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema reportedly reiterated during a Democratic caucus meeting that she will not support getting rid of the filibuster. Sen. Joe Manchin doesn’t seem open to the idea, either. But is there any doubt Schumer would do it if he could? Is there any doubt he’s continuing to normalize un-American majoritarianism? Is there any doubt he is willing to destroy the Senate? It is also obvious that Democrats, having stumbled in their effort to pass welfare expansion and dealing with a slew of presidential missteps, are on the cusp of losing what would be a tough midterm election even if things were going swimmingly. Now that the gerrymandering talking point is (or should be) neutralized, Democrats will have to do more corroding of trust in elections by leaning into the notion that supporting basic voter integrity is racist. I guess you can’t blame the Russian gremlins every election. In his letter, Schumer compared Republicans who believe Americans should provide photo IDs to vote to “violent insurrectionists.” In truth, Schumer, because of his power, is a bigger threat to the constitutional order than any rando who showed up to riot on Jan. 6. Unlike their actions, his attacks on the system would live on in perpetuity. David Harsanyi is a senior writer at National Review and author of “Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent.”
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NATION & WORLD Manchin wary of changing Senate rules to advance voting bill The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin sounded a skeptical note about the prospects of easing the Senate’s filibuster rules, raising doubts about whether he will provide support to the Democrats’ renewed push for loosened voting legislation they say is needed to protect democracy. Manchin told reporters it was his “absolute preference” that Republicans support any changes and he described acting on a purely partisan basis as a “heavy lift.” Still, he did not slam the door completely shut, saying he was exploring “the options we have open.” “I think that for us to go it alone, no matter what side does, it ends up coming back at you pretty hard,” Manchin said. Manchin’s skepticism came soon after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s announcement the Senate will vote soon on easing the filibuster rules. In a letter to colleagues, Schumer, D-N.Y., said the Senate “must evolve” and will “debate and consider” the rule changes by Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as the Democrats seek to overcome Republican opposition to their elections law package. The election and voting package has been stalled in the evenly split 50-50 Senate, blocked by a Republican-led filibuster with Democrats unable to mount the 60 votes needed to advance it toward passage. So far, Democrats have been unable to agree among themselves over potential changes to the Senate rules to reduce the 60-vote hurdle, despite months of private negotiations. Two holdout Democrats, Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have tried to warn their party off changes to the Senate rules, arguing that if and when Republicans take majority control of the chamber, they would use the lower voting threshold to advance bills Democrats strongly
PATRICK SEMANSKY | AP PHOTO
A surveillance camera stands on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. oppose. How the Senate filibuster rules would be changed remains under discussion. It seems certain that a fullscale end of the filibuster is out of reach for Democrats. Changing the rules would need all 50 votes, and Manchin and Sinema have made it clear they are unwilling to go that far. Schumer said he has had several discussions with Manchin and that Manchin was “entertaining” various proposals. “I don’t want to give people the illusion that he said he would be for any of them at this point. It’s a long, hard struggle,” Schumer said. Senators are wary of a sweeping overhaul after seeing the fallout that came after Democrats ended the filibuster for some judicial and executive branch nominees. Once Republicans
took power, Sen. Mitch McConnell, the GOP leader, did away with the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations — ushering three Trump-picked conservative justices to the high court. But despite their reluctance on major filibuster changes, Manchin and Sinema both support the election legislation. In fact, Manchin helped craft the latest package in an unsuccessful effort to win Republican support. Now the two Democrats’ colleagues are working on ways to change the filibuster so at least this legislation could pass. Ideas include forcing senators to hold the floor for extended periods, rather than simply raise their filibuster objections — a scene that would have echoes of the 1950s and 1960s when Southern Democratic segregationists filibustered civil rights legislation.
Republicans are so worried Democrats will end the filibuster that McConnell has taken other actions to try to keep Manchin and Sinema close so they don’t join the rest of their party in making any drastic changes. “Obviously, yes, we do talk to them, and all indications are that they still believe the Senate as an institution is important and doesn’t need to be turned into the House, or put another way, doesn’t need to be broken,” McConnell said. One Republican, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, argued on Monday that ending the filibuster would turn the Senate into a “Lord of the Flies”-style institution where majority rules, no matter what. “It is absurd and dangerous to the institution itself,” Lee said in a statement. He said Schumer and his “disastrous plan” must be stopped.
California’s Newsom wants health coverage for all immigrants The Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California would be the first state to provide health coverage to all immigrants in the country illegally under the budget Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed Monday. It’s part of his effort to address what he termed five of the most-populous state’s biggest challenges in a $286.4 billion budget that builds on a surplus projected by the Legislative Analyst to be at least $31 billion. Newsom’s budget proposal uses a much bigger surplus estimate because his administration uses a different definition of what counts as a surplus. What his administration termed “existential threats” include the surging coronavirus pandemic; wildfires and drought worsened by global warming; homelessness; income inequality including the lack of health insurance for some immigrants; and public safety, including combatting a recent flurry of coordinated smash-and-grab robberies. The state began covering immigrants 26 and under in 2019, and those 55 and older last year. Now Newsom wants state lawmakers to cover the remainder, starting no sooner than Jan. 1, 2024. It wasn’t immediately clear if he would phase in the additional health coverage or how he planned to pay for it. One legislative analysis put the price tag for covering the remaining donut hole of uninsured immigrants at $2.4 billion per year. Covering those age 50 and up, the most recent expansion, will eventually cost taxpayers about $1.3 billion per year. His budget address kicks off months of haggling with his fellow Democrats, who control the state Legislature, talks that will
RICH PEDRONCELLI | AP PHOTO
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about his 2021-2022 state budget proposal during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2021. intensify when Newsom presents an updated spending proposal in May. Some progressive legislative Democrats last week proposed creating in California the nation’s first universal health care system, backed by steep tax hikes that would have to be approved by voters. Newsom also has pledged to spend $300 million on boosting law enforcement efforts to combat retail theft and another $2.7 billion to spend on things like coronavirus testing and hospital staffing. He additionally on Monday proposed spending $648 million to back wildland firefighters and buy more helicopters and bulldozers, plus another $1.2 billion on top of the current budget year’s $1.5 billion for forest management. Another $750 million would go to drought relief, on top of the
current budget year’s $5.2 billion water package. Also on the environmental front, he pledged to keep reducing California’s reliance on fossil fuels. To confront the state’s seemingly intractable homelessness problem, he proposed spending $2 billion for mental health services, housing, and clearing homeless encampments. That’s on top of last year’s $12 billion package. The combination would create a projected 55,000 new housing units and treatment slots. To help with the ever-growing cost of living in California, Newsom proposed “doubling down” on the state’s existing plan to provide free universal pre-kindergarten; adding thousands of child care slots and boosting before, after and summer school programs. He also proposed continued aid to small businesses hit hard by
the pandemic by waiving fees and providing hundreds of millions in grants and tax breaks. Newsom’s massive projected budget and surplus brings the state a long way from the gloom of 2020, when Newsom and state lawmakers cut spending, raised taxes and pulled money from the state’s savings accounts to cover what they feared would be a pandemic-fueled $54 billion deficit. Newsom has also promised to substantially increase spending on infrastructure, including things like roads and bridges. These types of projects are good ways to spend surplus money — which is only available for one year — because they don’t have recurring costs that must be funded every year. Another advantage is infrastructure spending does not count toward the state’s constitutionally set spending limit, meaning it can offset other spending to help lawmakers stay under that cap. Nationally, people will be watching closely to see how Newsom wants to spend money to increase access to abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to overturn or significantly weaken Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that forbids states from outlawing abortion. If that happens, as many as two dozen other states could pass laws outlawing or restricting access to abortion. Last year, Newsom convened a group of more than 40 abortion providers and advocacy groups to ask for their ideas on what to do should that happen. In December, the group released 45 recommendations. They include spending money to help clinics hire more workers and funding to reimburse abortion providers for patients who can’t afford to pay — including those who travel to California from other states.
Biden taps combathardened officer to lead Central Command Washington, D.C. A senior Army threestar general with extensive experience in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has been nominated to become the top U.S. commander for the Middle East. President Joe Biden has nominated Army Lt. Gen. Erik Kurilla to head U.S. Central Command and be promoted to four-star general, according to multiple U.S. officials. If confirmed by the Senate, Kurilla would replace Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, who has led the command for the past three years and is expected to retire. Kurilla would take over as the Pentagon continues to try and shift its focus to the IndoPacific and counter a rising China, and to bolster defenses against Russia in Europe, where Moscow is massing troops near the Ukraine border, fueling fears of an invasion. Kurilla, who is from Elk River, Minnesota, is currently commander of the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, but previously served as the chief of staff at Central Command, working for McKenzie and, before that, Gen. Joseph Votel. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1988 and has served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, commanding conventional and special operations forces. He commanded a Stryker battalion in Iraq in 2004 and was shot and wounded. He later was commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, overseeing combat teams deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as director of operations at the Joint Special Operations Command and was commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beijing accuses US of inciting Lithuania over Taiwan Beijing Beijing on Monday accused Washington of inciting Lithuania to “contain China” in a feud over the status of self-ruled Taiwan after U.S. officials expressed support for the European Union-member country in the face of Chinese economic pressure. Lithuania is the latest flashpoint in China’s campaign to pressure companies and foreign governments to adopt its positions on Taiwan, Tibet and other sensitive issues. “The United States has instigated the Lithuanian authorities to undermine the ‘one-China principle’,” said a foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin. “It has supported, aided and abetted them in going further down the wrong path to achieve its political calculations to contain China.” American and Lithuanian officials say China has blocked imports from the northern European country since the Taiwanese government was allowed to open a trade office there under the name Taiwan. In a phone call last week, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai expressed “strong support” to a European official for Lithuania “in the face of economic coercion,” Tai’s office said in on its website. The U.S. and most other governments, including Lithuania, have diplomatic relations only with Beijing but maintain commercial and informal political ties with Taiwan’s democratically elected government. Beijing retaliated for Lithuania’s move by expelling the Lithuanian ambassador. Lithuania has closed its embassy in Beijing. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hurricanes’ PK again among NHL’s best, B4
JASON BEHNKEN | AP PHOTO
The Panthers will likely be making several changes this offseason, but one isn’t replacing coach Matt Rhule.
Panthers ready to make changes in offseason
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Chizik, Warren return to Tar Heels’ defensive staff Chapel Hill UNC’s revamp of its defensive coaching staff now includes the return of Gene Chizik. The school announced Saturday the hiring of Chizik as assistant head coach for defense as well as the return of Charlton Warren to serve as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. They worked together on the UNC staff under Larry Fedora for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The additions come after the school announced defensive coordinator Jay Bateman and assistant Jovan Dewitt won’t return to the staff next season. Chizik worked under UNC coach Mack Brown as Texas’ defensive coordinator when the Longhorns won the national championship. He then led a one-year turnaround for Fedora on a UNC defense that ranked among the nation’s worst in 2014, making the unit good enough for the Tar Heels to win an ACC Coastal Division title and reach the league championship game. Chizik stepped down after two seasons to spend time with his family in Alabama.
GOLF
Pinehurst will host both U.S. Opens in ’29 Pinehurst The USGA said Pinehurst would host the men’s and women’s Open in successive weeks in 2029, just as it did in a highly successful debut in 2014 when Martin Kaymer won the U.S. Open and Michelle Wie captured her first major at the U.S. Women’s Open the following week. It’s the first major initiative by the USGA since Mike Whan, the former LPGA Tour commissioner, took over as CEO last summer. The USGA also announced he purse for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, which will be held at Pine Needles in Southern Pines, will nearly double to $10 million, up from $5.5 million last year.
A 12-loss season leaves plenty of question marks
PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes can get a signature win when the Demon Deacons host No. 8 Duke on Wednesday at Joel Coliseum.
Duke, Wake serve up early-season ACC showdown The surprising Deacons and struggling Blue Devils meet in a crossroads game By Shawn Krest North State Journal TWO ACC TEAMS from North Carolina will meet in a pivotal conference game, but it’s not those two teams. While the Duke-UNC rivalry garners most of the national attention focused on the area each college basketball season, the first in-state showdown of this ACC season will come a couple hours to the west when Duke travels to surprising Wake Forest on Wednesday night. The Demon Deacons went 10-1 in the nonconference season and enter Wednesday’s contest at 13-3, 3-2 in the ACC. Wake is a perfect 10-0 at home on the year, after overcoming Syracuse in overtime the last time out. The Deacs have won two straight, blowing out Florida State 76-54 in Winston-Salem before hosting Syracuse. Duke, meanwhile, appeared to be rolling along, ending the calendar year with an 11-1 record and winning its ACC opener. The Blue Devils had wins over Kentucky and Gonzaga in the nonconference schedule. Then COVID hit, forcing the program to shut down briefly as Duke was returning from a holiday break. After nearly
“That’s how we play. We’re not going to change on Wednesday.” Steve Forbes, Wake Forest coach two weeks away, the Blue Devils looked rusty in a win over Georgia Tech, then lost to Miami at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday. Duke enters the game at 12-2, 2-1 in the conference, and looking to get back on track. Miami’s experienced guards dominated play on Saturday, giving Wake coach Steve Forbes a blueprint for beating the Blue Devils. “One thing that’s hard to defend is they’re so good off the dribble, they draw attention, draw help, and then you lose sight of your man and what happens? Boop! Back door,” Forbes said. “Then you get on them and they drive or hit a 3 from the logo. It’s hard. We try to play that way — try to spread you out and drive it. That’s how Miami plays. That’s how we play. We’re not going to change on Wednesday.” Forbes sees some similarities between the Deacs and the Canes, to a point. “We’ve got good guards,” he See ACC, page B3
By Shawn Krest North State Journal THE CAROLINA Panthers made the wrong kind of NFL history this season. The Panthers lost their last seven games to finish 5-12 on the year, setting the league mark for the worst record after a 3-0 start. Despite the late-season tailspin, it appears coach Matt Rhule will get at least one more season to try to turn things around. While four other NFL teams — all of whom had better records than the Panthers this season — made coaching changes on Black Monday, Carolina stood pat. Rhule will need to find an offensive coordinator to replace Joe Brady, who was fired midway through the season. Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer reported that Rhule’s job security depended on him bringing in a “rock star offensive coordinator.” The list reportedly includes Bill O’Brien, a former NFL head coach and current assistant at Alabama; former Washington coach Jay Gruden; Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell; and the reported front-runner, former Colts and Browns offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. A Charlotte native, Hamilton spent last season as the Texans’ passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “I’d like to have someone who has experience having done it, having been a coordinator,” Rhule said. “It’s one thing to have suggestions and all those things. It’s another thing to make the call and have success, not had success, learn from your success.” The players the new offensive coordinator will be working with also represent a work in progress. The Panthers have plenty of question marks and holes to fill on offense, starting with the quarterback spot. Last year’s offseason pickup, Sam Darnold, struggled as the starter before missing the middle portion of the season due to injury. The team signed former longtime Panthers starter Cam Newton off the street, although he was benched after Darnold returned
“I’m not coming back for no 5-12, I can tell you that now.” Cam Newton, Panthers quarterback to the active roster. While Newton struggled at times, he earned votes of confidence from the team’s decision-makers. “For Matt Rhule, I would have Cam Newton on my team like … forever. Any place I coached. Because of what he brings,” the head coach said. GM Scott Fitterer was also effusive in his praise, though he left himself an out. “I’ve never been more impressed by a player,” he said. “His leadership and what he did, during a really tough time. We’re all over the place at quarterback — the injuries and the different things. And even when it was some of those tough days in the locker room after a loss, Cam brought the energy every day. He showed great leadership, he was positive. Like I told him, I was really impressed with him as a person. So, yes, I think we’re open to it. We have to see how it goes.” Newton, also, was positive without committing to anything. “I’m not coming back for no 5-12, I can tell you that now,” he said, in typical Cam Newton fashion. “Winning makes everything better. So to what degree am I willing to do — whether it being the starter or not — if it’s about winning, I’m with it.” Darnold appears to be back after the team picked up the fifthyear option on his contract in May, although he is not entrenched as the starter by any means. “The story’s not written on Sam. He’s still developing,” Fitterer said. The Panthers were rumored to be considering a trade of All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, although Fitterer denied it, while again still leaving himself an out. “I look at Christian as a foundation piece on this team, one of See PANTHERS, page B4
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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
WEDNESDAY
1.12.22
TRENDING
Don Maynard: The Hall of Fame receiver who was a favorite target of Joe Namath with the AFL’s New York Jets, died Monday. He was 86. As Namath’s primary target, Maynard had three seasons with at least 1,200 yards receiving in a four‑year span. He caught 14 touchdown passes in Namath’s rookie season, and twice more had 10 TDs in a season. When he retired in 1973, he was pro football’s career receiving leader with 633 catches for 11,834 yards and 88 touchdowns. In 1987, he was elected to the Hall of Fame. Evander Kane: The Sharks terminated the right wing’s contract Sunday night, saying he violated COVID-19 protocols while with San Jose’s AHL affiliate. The move will cost Kane, 30, about $22.9 million from the seven‑year, $49 million deal he signed in May 2018. The NHLPA filed a grievance Monday on behalf of Kane, who is now a free agent and can sign with any team. Kane has faced gambling and abuse accusations from his estranged wife and was suspended 21 games for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card in the last year. Geno Smith: The Seahawks backup quarterback was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Monday following the team’s season-ending victory in Arizona. According to King County Court records, Smith was arrested at 2:10 a.m. and was released around 9:30 a.m. Smith just completed his third season in Seattle and started three games while Russell Wilson was out due to finger surgery.
Beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES
NASCAR
NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola will retire from competition at the end of the 2022 season to spend more time with his young family. Almirola, 37, revealed his plans Monday to the employees at Stewart-Haas Racing at the same time Smithfield Foods announced its 11th season sponsoring the driver. Almirola has made the playoffs in all four seasons driving the team’s No. 10. He has three career Cup wins and finished a career-best fifth in the 2018 standings.
DAVID ZALUBOWSKI | AP PHOTO
“I think the opportunity is very golden.” Goalie Jack LaFontaine, a 2016 Hurricanes third‑round pick, after he left the University of Minnesota midseason to sign with injury-stricken Carolina on Sunday.
JOHN RAOUX | AP PHOTO
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
NBA
STEVE CHRISTO | AP PHOTO
“Only thing left to do is win the trophy again and leave town never to return.” Greensboro tennis star John Isner on Novak Djokovic, who won his visa appeal and will be able to play in the Australian Open.
WERNER SLOCUM | AP PHOTO
Late Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam of Colorado and two-time Heisman runner-up Andrew Luck of Stanford headline a list of 21 former players and coaches in this year’s College Football Hall of Fame class. Former UNC defensive lineman Julius Peppers was a finalist but did not make the cut.
MICHAEL WYKE | AP PHOTO
The Denver Nuggets acquired big man Bol Bol from the Detroit Pistons on Monday, sending guard Rodney McGruder and Brooklyn’s previously acquired second-round pick in the deal. The 7-foot-2 Bol is the son of the late Manute Bol. Bol Bol played in 53 games over three seasons with the Nuggets and averaged 2.7 points.
NFL
PRIME NUMBER
2026 Likely the earliest the College Football Playoff will be expanded after three days of meetings failed to produce an agreement. A proposal for a 12-team playoff has been on the table since June.
BILL KOSTROUN | AP PHOTO
David Gettleman retired Monday, leaving the New York Giants after four seasons as the team’s general manager. The team went 19-46 during his tenure. The 70-year-old had been Giants director of pro personnel from 1999-2012, helping New York to two Super Bowl titles, before being hired as Panthers general manager in 2013. He was fired by Carolina in 2017 and took the GM job with the Giants that December.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
B3
‘Small gym,’ big rivalry between NC State, UNC women’s teams Coach Courtney Banghart gave the Wolfpack some bulletin board material ahead of their matchup, which ended with a runaway Wolfpack victory
“It’s a small gym, so it doesn’t take a lot to sell it out. ... We’ll play in front of more fans in other places.”
By Brett Friedlander North State Journal THE FIRESTORM started with a throwaway line. Or was it a backhanded compliment, intentionally designed to throw shade at a rival? Only Courtney Banghart knows for sure. Either way, there’s no question that the North Carolina women’s basketball coach added just a little extra spice to the already spirited relationship between her Tar Heels and NC State when she downplayed the significance of the expected sellout crowd at Reynolds Coliseum for last Thursday’s matchup with the Wolfpack. “It’s a small gym, so it doesn’t take a lot to sell it out,” Banghart said before acknowledging that the atmosphere in the historic arena, whose capacity was reduced to around 5,500 after its renovation in 2016, would be exciting and that enthusiastic crowds are good for the women’s game. “We’ll play in front of more fans in other places.” That may eventually prove to be true, even though only two other ACC schools — Louisville and Notre Dame — are averaging more fans per game than State. But it didn’t matter to the Wolfpack faithful, who took Banghart’s comment as a slight against their school, their arena and their two-time defending ACC championship team. And they took to social media in massive numbers to express their displeasure. Even retired State athletic director Debbie Yow got into the act, replying to Banghart’s small gym quote by tweeting “Bless her heart.” The internet being what it is, other unaffiliated instigators quickly joined in the viral fun. Shaw sports information director Antoine Lynch posted a photo of his school’s tiny C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium with the caption: “An actual small … loud gym in Raleigh. Did I do that right?” The reactions, both angry and humorous, made for good theater, not that the matchup between the fifthranked Wolfpack and the undefeated Tar Heels — who came into the game at No. 19 — needed any more of a buildup. Nor did the home team need any extra motivation. “We were really just worried about winning the game,” State’s All-American center Elissa Cunane said. “A win over Carolina in anything, I guess, is always good.” While it’s not unusual for rivals to take verbal jabs at one another either before or after a big game, Banghart’s comment was significant because, when it comes to the Tar Heels and Wolfpack, the first salvo has traditionally come from the State side — most
UNC women’s basketball coach Courtney Banghart before the Tar Heels lost 72-45 to NC State at Reynolds Coliseum last Thursday notably football coaches Tom O’Brien and Dave Doeren. If Banghart was trying to give her team an edge by riling up a rival’s already rabid fan base, it backfired spectacularly. State held UNC scoreless for the first five minutes of the game, jumped out to a 10-0 lead that ballooned to as many as 29 during the second half and limited the Tar Heels to just 23% shooting on the way to a convincing 72-45 victory. It was a humbling performance for Banghart and her team. Afterward, though, the third-year coach was anything but contrite. Although she admitted that “when the going got tough, we backed down a little bit,” Banghart doubled down on her original statement by throwing a little more fuel on the rivalry fire. Asked if she thought the hostile crowd might have contributed to UNC’s slow start, she replied by saying that “the gym in the Bahamas was even louder and hotter” — referring to the two games the Tar Heels played as part of the Goombay Splash tournament in November. “I’d like to blame (the loss) on anything else,” she said. “But that’s not really what we’re about.” It should be noted that the published attendance for UNC’s win against Washington at Gateway Christian Academy in Bimini was only 100. Attendance wasn’t noted on the box score from the previous game a day earlier against VCU. Before Thursday’s game at Reynolds, the biggest crowd to see the Tar Heels play this season was 3,234 at Minnesota. Their biggest home crowd to date was 2,621 against Charlotte on Nov. 14. UNC will have a chance to top that mark later this month when it faces State in a rematch in Chapel Hill on Jan. 30. With a capacity of 6,822, its Carmichael Arena is larger than Reynolds Coliseum. It’s doubtful that Wolfpack coach Wes Moore will poke the hornets’ nest by bringing up the subject of arena sizes and the crowds that fill them in the lead-up to that game. But he couldn’t help but take a poke at Banghart in the aftermath of Thursday’s win. That is, after all, what rivalries are all about. Upon seeing the larger than usual contingent of media members waiting to hear his postgame remarks, he sarcastically noted that “I guess we’ve got a small media room, too.”
KARL B. DEBLAKER | AP PHOTO
UNC coach Courtney Banghart speaks with an official during the Tar Heels loss to rival NC State last Thursday at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.
ACC from page B1 said. “I don’t know if they’re that good.” Wake’s backcourt includes senior Daivien Williamson (12.9 points per game), junior wing Jake LaRavia (14.9 points, 3.4 assists) and Alondes Williams, who is one of the ACC’s leading scorers at 20.4 points per game. He also leads the team with 5.1 assists. “He has the ability to see the floor and read defenses,” Forbes said of Williams. “He’s a good teammate. He’s made two passes as the leading scorer — one to win the game against Charlotte and
one to tie the game against Syracuse. He’s not one of those guys who feels like he has to make the play.” Wake also has plenty of size — Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski calls the Deacs “one of the biggest teams in the country.” They feature 7-footer Dallas Walton (8.2 points, 5.2 rebounds. 1.6 blocks) and 6-foot-10 veteran Khadim Sy, who Forbes jokes played for Virginia Tech “10 years ago” before “playing for every college team in the nation.” Duke has bigs of its own to pair with talented guards. Paolo Banchero (17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds)
PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
NC State’s Dereon Seabron has become the Wolfpack’s No. 1 offensive option and has grown into one of the best rebounding guards in the country.
Seabron a silver lining for struggling Wolfpack The redshirt sophomore leads NC State in scoring, rebounding and assists
“I knew what I was capable of doing, but I had to wait my turn,” said Seabron, who sat out his true freshman year as an academic redshirt. “I was playing behind a senior in Devon Daniels, so when he got hurt, I knew I had to step up. I had the opportunity to show people By Brett Friedlander how I do it.” North State Journal He got even more of an opportunity than THE NC STATE basketball team was run- expected this season when star center Manny ning out of options as it battled Nebraska Bates was lost to a shoulder injury less than a minute into the opening game against Buckthrough multiple overtimes on Dec. 1. With Cam Hayes having been ejected for his nell. And he’s taken full advantage of the added part in a second half altercation, Casey Morsell sidelined with an ankle injury at the end of reg- responsibility by posting nine double-doubles, ulation and Jericole Hellems having fouled out the most of any guard in the country, while avearly in the third extra period, Dereon Seabron eraging 20.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. It’s a transformation, according to Keatts, took it upon himself to pull his team through. Forced into the role of primary ballhan- that has come from a combination of a producdler, the versatile 6-foot-7 redshirt sophomore tive offseason in the weight room and the confibegan attacking the basket on virtually every dence that comes with being his team’s primapossession, challenging the Cornhuskers to ry offensive option. “He believes,” Keatts said. “Last stop him. year he was getting some of those And they rarely did. same shots, but he wasn’t finishing. “I felt like no one on the court could He was creating shots at the rim and stop me from getting to the rim,” he shot some scoop shots underneath the said. rim, and now you see that he’s playing Seabron torched Nebraska for 39 points and 18 rebounds that night Double-double through contact and getting to the free-throw line just as much as anyto lead the Wolfpack to a 104-100 for NC State’s body in the country.” four-overtime victory. Dereon In fact, his 107 attempts through 16 But the Cornhuskers shouldn’t feel games rank fourth among Division I too bad about their inability to stop Seabron this players nationally. him. No one has this season. season, the While getting to the rim and either The unexpected star has been one most by any scoring or getting fouled has become of the few bright spots in an otherwise guard in the Seabron’s specialty, it is far from his dreary season for State. Seabron leads only strength. He is also, in the words the team and ranks among the ACC’s country. of Virginia Tech coach Mike Young, “a top 10 in scoring, rebounding, assists better shooter than he thinks he is.” and steals while establishing himself And three games ago against Florias a legitimate conference Player of da State, the former high school point the Year candidate. It’s a status no one, not even Wolfpack coach guard added another line to his resume when Kevin Keatts, saw coming from a player that he became the Wolfpack’s primary ballhandler, averaged just 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per a move that was designed to help shake State out of a skid that has dropped it to 8-8 overall game last season. “To be honest with you, the expectation was and 1-4 in the ACC. “As a coach, you look for different things and (for him) to grow as a sophomore,” Keatts said of Seabron. “I really thought he could be a guy a different spark,” Keatts said. “We put the ball that could probably jump from five points a in his hand and he was making plays. Early in game to possibly 12 and give us somewhere the year, he wasn’t making plays for others. He was scoring for himself. around six or seven rebounds a game. “We talked about it with him. He and I sat “But he’s done a ton of a terrific job for us this year, and he’s put a lot of work in. Of anybody down and watched film. We communicated that I’ve ever coached, he’s a guy that plays to with him and coaches worked with him. He behis strengths. He knows who he is and doesn’t came a willing passer.” Among those that have benefited most from do anything out of the box.” Seabron gave a glimpse of things to come the move has been freshman sharpshooter late last season when, as was the case against Terquavion Smith, who has gotten more open Nebraska, he was thrust into an expanded role. looks as a result of Seabron’s driving ability. But when the situation gets tight, Seabron Seeing his playing time increase significantly after State’s leading scorer Devon Daniels usually takes matters into his own hands. He was sidelined with a season-ending knee inju- has averaged 17.3 points per game in the secry, Seabron was one of the driving forces that ond half of the Wolfpack’s past three games helped the Wolfpack win its final five games and accounted for 44.8% of his team’s scoring over the final 20 minutes of those contests. and earn a bid to play in the NIT. “He’s a challenge in this league for any team His 17-point, 13-rebound, three-block performance in a win at Notre Dame in the regular that plays him,” Louisville coach Chris Mack season finale helped earn him ACC Freshman said. “He can single-handedly change a game with how explosive he is.” of the Week honors.
and Mark Williams (8.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 blocks) man the paint, while veterans Wendell Moore (16.0 points, 4.9 assists) and Jeremy Roach (9.0 points, 3.0 assists) run the show. Freshmen wings AJ Griffin and Trevor Keels also provide scoring spurts. However, Duke has struggled to find its early-season mojo following the break in play. “The main thing is to get back into a high level of conditioning and familiarity with one another,” Krzyzewski said. “One of the reasons we had so many turnovers (17 against Miami) is we haven’t played together.”
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The lack of floor time has also hurt Duke on the other end of the floor. “It hurt our defense immensely,” he said. “The first thing that goes when you do not practice is talk, where you communicate. I didn’t think — well, I know — we didn’t have good talk. Your movements become reactionary, not anticipatory. That’s where we’re at. We’ve got to get back. You can talk X’s and O’s all day, but X’s and O’s need to be drilled and practiced and played.” While Duke tries to get back what it had, Wake is in the process of showing that its early success was
no fluke. The Deacs dropped two straight games, allowing Miami to shoot more than 60%, in the first week of ACC play before rebounding with the FSU and Syracuse wins, holding the two foes to 24% and 36% shooting, respectively. “We’ve made a big jump this week,” Forbes said. “When I came home a week ago, I was pretty grumpy. … We’re going in the right direction. Are we totally there yet? No.” Neither Duke nor Wake is where they want to be, but both teams can take a big step forward as the road to ACC success again runs through Tobacco Road.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
B4
Hurricanes’ penalty kill still thriving It’s been more than a month since Carolina allowed a power play goal, and it ranks second in the NHL in PK efficiency
“You can have any type of system, but if guys aren’t buying into it, it doesn’t matter what it is.”
By Cory Lavalette North State Journal RALEIGH — Ahead 2-1 in the third period on Dec. 11 in Edmonton, the Carolina Hurricanes did something you never want to do: give the Oilers’ power play a chance. The Hurricanes went down a man when defenseman Brady Skjei was called for a penalty six minutes into the final period, allowing the hometown Oilers — and their top-ranked power play with a 32.5% conversion rate — the opportunity to tie the game. A blocked shot, save and clear ran down the first half of the power play. Another Frederik Andersen save, a shorthanded rush for Carolina and two more clears ended the threat. Then Skjei — who is third on the team in shorthanded ice time this season — took another penalty with just over nine minutes remaining. Back to work, and this time there was some luck involved. The Oilers had Grade-A two chances, including one for Connor McDavid alone in the slot, that went wide. The Hurricanes again survived and went on to a 3-1 win. It was the second game of a streak that has now reached nine games in which Carolina has not allowed a power play goal. The Hurricanes have killed off 30 straight power plays since allowing a goal on Dec. 7 in Winnipeg. “We expect to kill a penalty … It’s a crucial part of the game,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said following Friday’s home win over Calgary when the streak hit a month. The success is not new for the Hurricanes under Brind’Amour. In his first three full seasons behind the Carolina bench, Brind’Amour has seen his team rank ninth, second and third on the penalty kill. This year it is ranked second again, having allowed just 11 goals while shorthanded for a 91.7% success rate. That ranks behind only Pittsburgh’s 92.8%. Since Brind’Amour took over in 2018, the Hurricanes have had the best cumulative penalty kill at 87.9% through Monday’s games. Boston and Tampa Bay are tied for second at 86.1%. So what makes a good penalty kill? Like the two kills against the Oilers, it’s effort, structure, opportunity and often luck.
Tim Gleason, Hurricanes assistant coach
KARL B. DEBLAKER | AP PHOTO
Defenseman Ian Cole has already become a crucial part of the Hurricanes’ second-ranked penalty kill. “I think you do need to outwork the other guys,” defenseman Ian Cole said Monday, “but you’re also outnumbered, so just running around like chickens with their heads cut off doesn’t really do it because you’re obviously down a man. “So I think it has to be a mix of smart reads, good anticipation, and, yes, then outworking too.” Cole has been known throughout his career as a reliable penalty killer, logging more than 1,100 minutes shorthanded in 626 career regular season games with St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Colorado, Minnesota and Carolina. He found out early he would need to play shorthanded if he wanted to stick around the league. “When I got to St. Louis and I had Ken Hitchcock (as coach), he basically said, ‘Yeah, you’re not gonna be touching the ice on the power play anymore, which I used to run in college,” Cole said. “I used to be a skilled defenseman, at least a little bit skilled. And he basically said, ‘Yeah, you’re not going to be playing unless you do X, Y and Z.’ So I had to adapt pretty quickly.”
Assistant coach Tim Gleason was, like Cole, a defensive defenseman who spent a lot of time on the kill. Now running the penalty kill this season after he replaced Dean Chynoweth on Brind’Amour’s staff, Gleason said the key to a successful unit is everyone being on board with the plan. “You can have any type of system, but if guys aren’t buying into it, it doesn’t matter what it is,” Gleason said. The Hurricanes have buy-in from players up and down their roster, including top-of-the-lineup players like Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen who also offer the threat of shorthanded scoring chances — as they had in Edmonton — on top of being adept penalty killers. “I think that’s changed in the last two, three years,” Gleason said of skill players logging more minutes on the penalty kill. “It’s interesting because we always talk about like, ‘Hey, when you can go, go.’ If we can score a shorthanded goal, obviously, we want to do that. “But at the same time, buying in is doing the right things at the right times
in our zone and on the forecheck, and we stick to our system,” Gleason continued. “And it doesn’t matter if you’re a 25-goal scorer or five-goal scorer — if you’re buying into it and you do the right things with discipline, I think it kind of shows how it works out.” While most of the league’s penalty kills look the same — a standard four-man box with varying levels of aggressiveness depending on the team and players on the ice — there are always tweaks being made, whether it’s because of the next opponent or things that didn’t work in a previous game. “It’s what the other team is bringing, right?” Gleason said. “Or what maybe lit us up the night before. Like if we weren’t very good in situations or from a forecheck standpoint, it’s not necessarily that particular thing that we would change. … I think it’s a game-by-game basis, you have to adapt a little bit.” For now, everything is going right for the Hurricanes’ penalty kill. “For the past month we’ve been fortunate,” Cole said, “but those tides can change quickly if you’re not careful.”
Dawgs drought done: Georgia beats Bama for national title The Bulldogs won their first championship in 41 years with a 33-18 win over their SEC rivals
The Bulldogs (14-1) hadn’t won a national title since freshman Herschel Walker led them there in 1980. If simply snapping the drought wasn’t good enough, doing against No. 1 Alabama (13-2) had to make it feel even better. “I cried, so pretty good,” Bennett said when asked how it felt. Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide had won seven straight against the Bulldogs, including the last four against Smart, Saban’s longtime assistant. Smart returned to his alma mater as coach in 2016 and has been chasing his mentor ever since. The
Bulldogs lost two SEC championship games to Alabama, including one five weeks ago, and the 2018 CFP title game to the Tide under Smart. “I told them we burned the boats. The only way home was through them,” Smart said he told his team about the Crimson Tide. Mission accomplished. Bennett, the former walk-on, finished 17 for 26 for 224 yards and no interceptions. For most of the first three quarters, the first CFP title game to be a rematch of a regular season game was an ol’ fashion Southeastern
Conference defensive struggle. The first touchdown of the game came with 1:20 left in the third quarter. After James Cook broke a 67-yard run to get the Bulldogs into the red zone, three more running plays — and a facemask penalty by Alabama — got them into the end zone. Zamir White went in standing up from a yard out with massive defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis leading the way as blockers. The Bulldogs led for the first time, 13-9. After Alabama added another field goal, the Tide caught a break on a strange-looking turnover by the Bulldogs. As Bennett was being taken down deep in Georgia territory, he tried to throw the ball away. The ball slipped loose and bounced toward the sideline, seemingly harmless. Alabama’s Drew Sanders casually caught the ball as he was jogging out of bounds. Surprisingly, the ruling on the field was a fumble recovered by the Tide. A review upheld the call, giving the Tide the ball in the red zone. A few plays later, Young eluded the rush and found Cameron Latu for a 3-yard touchdown that put Alabama up 18-13 with 10:14 left in the fourth. Once again, it felt like Georgia would not be able to break whatever spell Alabama seemingly had on the Bulldogs. Bennett was 13 for 22 for 141 yards as the next drive started, and you could practically hear all skeptical Georgia fans wondering why Smart didn’t turn to his four-star backup, J.T. Daniels, for a spark.
The team lost most of its top picks in this year’s NFL Draft, many of them due to the Darnold trade, but a focus of the offseason will be adding help at the offensive line. Center Matt Paradis and guard John Miller are both scheduled to be free agents, further complicating the upgrade.
On defense, the Panthers don’t have as far to go, but the team will have to deal with several potential free agents, including cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Stephon Gilmore. This year’s first-round draft pick, Jaycee Horn, is expected to return after missing most of the season with an injury, which could
make one of the free agents expendable, in the team’s eyes. “I don’t think it’s an either-or thing,” Jackson said. “I think we’ll see when it gets down to that moment. … I think we look at it as a ‘trying to get the team better’ thing. I think that’s really what it is.” Pass rusher Haason Reddick
By Ralph D. Russo The Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS — Stetson Bennett delivered the biggest throws of his storybook career and Georgia’s defense sealed the sweetest victory in program history, vanquishing rival Alabama 33-18 Monday night for its first national title in 41 years. Bennett connected with Adonai Mitchell on a 40-yard touchdown to give No. 3 Georgia a 19-18 lead with 8:09 left and then hooked up with Brock Bowers for a 15-yard TD on a screen to put the Bulldogs up eight with 3:33 left. The final blow came from Georgia’s dominant defense. Kelee Ringo intercepted an underthrown deep ball down the sideline by Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young. “I just saw the ball in his hands and that was all she wrote,” said safety Lewis Cine, the game’s defensive MVP. Instead of going down with a little over a minute left, Ringo took off behind a convoy of blockers and went 79 yards for a touchdown that set off a wild celebration by the relieved Georgia fans who packed Lucas Oil Stadium. “There’s going to be some property torn up in Indianapolis tonight,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said, paraphrasing the late Georgia play-by-play man Larry Munson.
PANTHERS from page B1 those building blocks,” he said. “I would love for him to be here. But I will never not take a call. If somebody calls and offers something crazy — yeah, you would look at it. There’s no intentions, right now, of trading Christian McCaffrey.”
DARRON CUMMINGS | AP PHOTO
Georgia players celebrate after winning the College Football Playoff championship football game 33-18 over Alabama in Indianapolis.
“I told them we burned the boats. The only way home was through them.” Kirby Smart, Georgia coach As he has done so many times during a career that started on the scout team and took a detour through junior college in Mississippi, the small-town Georgia kid nicknamed Mailman came through. Bennett completed all three of his passes for 68 yards, including a long strike to Mitchell for a touchdown with 8:09 left that gave the Bulldogs a 19-18 lead after a failed 2-point conversion. The Bulldogs’ defense clamped down on Young, forcing a threeand-out on the Tide’s next drive, and then Georgia went to work on sealing a long-awaited championship. Young finished 35 for 57 for 359 yards with two interceptions and was sacked three times after Georgia didn’t bring him down once in the SEC title game. “We played a heck of a game against a heck of a team for the first three quarters of the game,” said Saban, who was denied his eighth national title, seventh with Alabama in the last 13 years. “Nobody can take the SEC championship away from this team, the Cotton Bowl championship. “We just didn’t finish the way we needed to finish.”
and tackle DaQuan Jones are also scheduled to be free agents. The Panthers have plenty of work to do on both sides of the ball, and, as all the hedging indicates, there are plenty of different directions the team could decide to go in what promises to be another offseason of upheaval.
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WILLIAMS questioning per stated during question what the government tells us about when it’s massive safe to begin the The result: a reduction inwithout expected hospitalizati Lenten and of rampant inflation and currency pandemic. 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic also had its origins in China. measures immediate fear justification for it. And the answers should not be vague ones like “we COVID-19 know yet” if the process of returning back to normalcy. According to theseasons University of Washington Institu For me, my faith is government There is 100% agreement, outside oftransparency China, thatofCOVID-19 depreciation. must do this out an abundance Easter of caution.” is China’s No. The government works for us, and we have the right to ask those Metrics and Evaluation model most oft cited by m ant ways and decisions through making. 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D fromSome our to are being told remain joblessout and message offor an undetermined become a ue ones like “we country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as Michigan, peak outbreak was revised down by over 120,000, orld of 21st century health, hygiene affliction, so that we biowarfare lab run by the communist Chinese army. to bring China into the civilized scientific amount of timeexperts why models predicting hundreds of cases w hope that we13,000 willof thousands bad thing? thethe more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about ventilators by nearly and the number of ov unist regimes never take blame affliction, withcomm the co Until China adopts rigorous verifiable policing and regulation of and fair trade. Totalitarian are reliable. — we need to once again enjoy of this state who when they can get back to providing for their families, will demand August by nearly 12,000. rse, because that is not what God.” That is what their food safety and health protocols, American business has no other or express sincere regret and rem To know date, what I’ve gone what the state has asked and then they along with ndetermined answers. Here’s the problem: We still don’t know the answ sporting events, take advantage of every weakness If you are celebrat choice than tofree build redundant manufacturing totalitarian do. 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StateasRepublican have, too. living inand a free can be with those answers — and again, not vague answers, but concerns. answer First, what is the true coronavirus fatality and rate?c God’s example don’t and when reliability adversaries push back. gatherings, Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there is AMERICA’S COLLEGES are rife with society edhappens and then with details that give their statements believability. important because That it determines whether certain nt such asThe the Chernobyl this difficult Th The most direct waywere to make China “pay”hope for this is to offer is, unless an exogenous they to disaster corruption. financial squeeze resulting sometimes a disturbing tendency among people to treat thosetime. ev church some services questions about We should all continue to do what we can to keep our families, be open or closed, whether we ought to pursue — S elieve that event, not the Staropportunities Wars confident we will em supposed from COVID-19 offers for a U.S. tax credits to companies whosimply willknow source at least half of their meltdown in 1986. Some experts what theythe data and asking questioning when we can start getting back and many more Sponsored by ourselves, and our communities safe. But we should also still continue more liberalized society that presumes wide sprea Sponsored by the dissolution of the Soviet In thisled same spiritt bit of remediation. Let’sUnion first examine what production back in the States. 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Chinese billion by case fatality Perhaps COVID-19 China’s Since when did questioning government at all levels become aisbad “Academic Grievance Studies and the North State Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020 start getting back This is all new to Americans, and it is not normal. Not in any way, the number of identified COVID-19 cases — but bp ady talking about the possibility to buy aare 3-D sacrifices are society comparison. Senators inmoney Washington alr thing? That is what free citizens living in a free were supposed Corruption of Scholarship.” The study was we should remain vigilant and are people who shape, or form. So while stay safe, at and the denominator are likely wrong. 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Stacey Matthews manyas people are dying home. d to operate as I’m responsible citizens of undertaking to save our own economy, notmany of defeated enemies in the It is at about timenot they expect way too memories of a painful experience I’d prefer to are repeat. something has gone drastically wrong ed I will. After and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection. Even more importantly, we have no clue how ma ation. past. the world like any other modern n But what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone has in academia, especially within certain THE DOMINION ENERGY 2009 pandemic, actually have coronavirus. Some scientists suggest China has been cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American fields within the humanities. They call SOLAR of this brings upfor Students of identified business now for the past 30 years. They have made no secret that theycases could be an order of magnitude these fields “grievance studies,” where Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill,coronavirus senior opinion program isis soliciting new efer notscholarship to repeat. number of people who have had and n not so much based upon intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and sites in Virginia, North st everyone has finding truth but upon attending to replace the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi. social grievances. Grievance scholars Carolina and South Carolina. bully students, administrators and other Through a Dominion departments into adhering to their Energy Charitable Foundation worldview. The worldview they promote is Jason grant toscientific the National Energy Grievance neither nor rigorous. EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS studies consist of disciplines such as Education Development sociology, anthropology, gender studies, (NEED) Project, the program COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON queer studies, sexuality and critical race offers K-12 students and AMANDA ANDRADE-RHOADES | AP PHOTO studies. educators a hands-on learning In 2017 and 2018, authors Pluckrose, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks to lawmakers during a House Committee on Financial Services hearing on Capitol experience generate started Lindsay and to Boghossian Hill in Washington, D.C., Dec. 1, 2021. submitting bogusaacademic papers to electricity from solar academic journals in cultural, array installed on grounds queer, race, gender, fat and sexuality studies accessible Each to determinetoifstudents. they would pass peer participating organization will “THIS IS THEfallen DAYinto the lord has made, let usthe re seriousness of and the be virus and the review accepted for need publication. WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home place. I understand Acceptance of dubious research in it” (Psalm 118:24). y with how people who simply ask receive training sessions and that orders thanks to local or state governments, a majority of Americans to take precautions, but I’m uneas editors sympathetic to their this challenging time of soc n thingsjournal can start getting back to curriculum on found harnessing are having to adjust to what is being called the “new normal.”I know that during questions about the data, and whe intersectional or postmodern leftist vision working from home or losing a job, it may becircle diffi with contempt. solar energy. Some of these orders extend at least through the end of this month. normal are treated in some of the world would prove the problem of be glad” as the Bible tells us to do. as However, as aasC a societylow simply muststandards. accepthas without Virginia’s stay-at-home orders go into June. They’re treated though we Dominion academic Energy and dad, the Easter holiday has reminded me oftelj s us about when it’s safe to begin the Here in North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during question what the government Several of the fake research papers committed to net zero carbon have to be thankful and hopeful for, even in the m alcy. were accepted for publication. The FatThe Associated Press a recent coronavirus press briefing that “we just don’t know yet” if the process of returning back to norm crease in unemployment on record manage a rapidly shifting econoand methane emissions by Lenten and pandemic.in 2020.)No. The government works for s, and we have journal the right to ask those Studies published a hoax paper my. The Fed is now widely expectstate’s stay-at-home orders will extend into May. 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December compared with a year nomic brakes. that could slowwhat concerts, family risk. by“Our 2040 from their natural To date, I’ve Yet gone along with the state has asked and then with details that give their statem recession.” Feminism anfamilies, Intersectional Reply to On Wednesday, the govern- growth, disrupt financial marago. andWe God’sabout example comfort in need arou at we can tobusiness. keep as our free citizens gas mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions shouldallallthose continue to do wh gatherings, Neoliberal and Choice Feminism,” was “Normally, the Fed would have kets and potentially cause a recesment is expected to report that this difficult time. Through faith and by helping o fe. But we The should alsoProject still continue the data. State Republican leaders have, too. ourselves, and our communities s NEED is services living in a7.1% freeover sion. 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Inflation has become the its short-term benchmark rate, and mortgage bonds they hold, a the central bank’s view that inflaof North Carolina, South That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed Not one little bit. paper eventually forced Boghossian, most serious threat to the econo- thing? currently near zero, three times move that would also tighten cred- tion will likely decline this year as Carolina and Virginia within to do, last I checked. Pluckrose and Lindsay to prematurelymy, out a growing worry for the finan- this year. As recently as Septem- it. The minutes indicated that the the pandemic wanes. The spike in Dominion Energy›s electric under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah Mypolicymakers first concernhad as been we godividalong in all this, of course, is myletting family. I’m Stacey Matthews also themselves. A Wall Street Journal writer spending on goods, fromhas cars to written policymakers could start cial markets and a major political ber, dState and Legal Insurrection. service territory. Thethey NEED had figured out what were doing. problem for the Biden administra- worried about them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will. After and is a regular contributor to Re Pelotons, will fade as Americans ed over whether to raise rates even those holdings decline, as the seSome will papers accepted for10publication Project select at least curities mature,the as2009 soon pandemic, as after switch back to spending on travel once in 2022. tion and Democrats in Congress. suffering from the H1N1 virus (swine flu) during in academic journals and restaurant meals, according the Fed’sbecause first rateall hike. is a substantial risk that sites to receive a 1.2 advocated kilowatt training While Powell has many defend- I’ve“There been trying to take extra precautions, of this brings up men like dogs and punishing white male to this view. That will allow supFor now, the Fed’s policies rethe too Fed many is sufficiently behind the ers who applaud the Fed’s willing- way memories of a painful experience I’ d prefer not to repeat. photovoltaic system that college students for historical slavery by that it will need to face the flect mostly the emergency set- ply-chain bottlenecks to unravel, ness to keep interest rates low to curve But what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone has converts sunlight into electric asking them to sit in silence on the floor in reduce unemployment after challenge of letting inflation re- tings that have been in place since thereby reducing goods prices. help chains to pandemic recession, Friday’s main persistently high or risk a re- the pandemic struck in March power.during class and to be expectedthe And, they argue, the Fed’s willlearn from discomfort. U.S. jobs report for December cession,” said Tim Duy, chief U.S. 2020. Besides pegging rates at es- ingness to keep rates low, even as “We arethe very excited Other papers celebrated morbid obesity as a healthyraised life alarms. It showed anoth- economist at SGH Macro Advi- sentially zero, the Fed is still buy- the economy recovered, helped to once again expand choice and advocated treating privatelyer sharp drop in the unemploy- sors. ing bonds to try to hold down support a faster pace of growth the number of Solar for as a form of ment rate, an unexpectedly large conducted masturbation Stocks have tumbled and bond longer-term rates. Those bond and hiring, particularly compared sexual violence Students sitesagainst across women. Typically, increase in hourly pay and chronic yields have surged since the min- purchases are set to end in March. with the grindingly slow recovery academic journal editors send submitted Yet on Friday the government after the 2008-2009 recession. utes of the Fed’s December meetlabor shortages. our electric footprint papers out to referees for review. In Yet many economists argue that Though lower joblessness and ing, released last week, showed of- reported that the unemployment in Virginia, North and South recommending acceptance for publication, higher pay benefit workers, they ficials likely to move more faster to rate sank in December to 4.2% the Fed remains too optimistic Carolina,” said Hunter A. papers glowing many reviewers gave these from 3.9% in November and is about inflation and that the rate can also fuel rising prices. The tighten credit. Applewhite, president of the praise. Many economists now expect down from 6.7% a year earlier — will stay well above the Fed’s 2% jobs report led many economists Political Energy scientistCharitable Zach Goldberg ranto forecast more interest rate hikes the Fed to raise its key rate at least the fastest 12-month drop in the inflation target this year. Dominion certain grievance concepts through this year than they had previously four times this year. And accord- jobless rate since records began in Foundation. “Thisstudies will give the Lexis/Nexis database, to see how often predicted as the Fed scrambles to ing to the minutes of its Decem- 1948. (It followed the largest in- See ECONOMY, page B6 evenappeared more students and the they in our press over the years. public thehuge opportunity He found increasesfor in a the usages of “white privilege,” “unconscious bias,” hands-on learning experience “critical racerenewable theory” and “whiteness.” with clean, solar All of this is being taught to college energy.” many of whom become primary students, solar array have who then andEach secondary schoolwill teachers indoctrinate ourthat young a visual display willpeople. show I doubt and whether the realcoronavirusstudents faculty caused financial crunch will give college timeuniversity data on the amount of who are a and administrators, electricity between generated. Each and jellyfish, crossbreed a parrot the guts andwill backbone to restore academic solar array generate the rollout of vaccines — triggered gest Democrats face considerable The Associated Press respectability. Far too often, they get much an unexpectedly strong recovery challenges to maintaining their enough electricity to power of their political support from campus WASHINGTON, D.C. — The “The world economy is control of Congress. last year. 18 desktop computers, grievance people who are40 members of the A poll from The Associated But the speed of the rebound World Bank is downgrading its simultaneously facing ten-gallon 15 faculty and aquariums, diversity andormulticultural caught businesses by surprise. Press-NORC Center for Public Afoutlook for the global economy, administrative offices. 42-inch LED televisions. They have scrambled to find raw fairs Research finds that manageblaming continuing outbreaks of COVID-19, inflation, and The best hope for liesthe with boards of COVID-19, a reduction in govern- policy uncertainty, with materials and supplies to meet ment of the coronavirus pandemic, Applications trustees, though many serve as yes-men customer demand and the ships, once an issue that strongly favored ment economic support and onDominion Energy Solar for for the university president. I think that a bottlenecks in global supply government spending trains and trucks to transport President Joe Biden and his felgoing Students be 1950s or 1960s good start program would be will to find them. Especially in the United low Democrats, is beginning to rechains. and monetary policies in acceptedLook through January catalogs. at the course offerings at The 189-country, anti-poverty States, they have struggled to find cede in the minds of Americans. uncharted territory.” a30, time when college graduates knew how 2022 with recipients COVID-19 is increasingly overworkers to fill job openings. agency forecasts worldwide ecoto read, write and compute, and makenomic growth of 4.1% this year, shadowed by concerns about the One result has been the highest announced during the them today’s curricula. Another helpful global inflation rates since 2008. economy and personal finances — down from the 4.3% growth it World Bank President David firstwould quarter tool be of to2022. give careful consideration Central banks are now reducing particularly inflation — which are was forecasting last June. It’s also Malpass Solar installations will to eliminating all classes/majors/minors their support for economic growth topics that could lift Republicans. down from the 5.5% expansion it containing word “studies,” such as estimates the global economy taltake place the throughout Just 37% of Americans name and considered raising interest women, Asian, black or queer studies. lied in 2021. the virus as one of their top five rates to combat higher prices. 2022 and culminate with I’d bet that by restoring the traditional In its Global Economic Pros- ter 2.9% growth in 2022, up from “The world economy is simul- priorities for the government to a «Solarbration” academic mission at to each colleges, they would taneously facing COVID-19, infla- work on in 2022, compared with pects report out Tuesday, the 1.7% last year. location to kick andthe COVID-19 World Bank projects that the U.S. put a serious dentoff into Emerging and developing econ- tion, and policy uncertainty, with 53% who said it was a leading pribudget shortfall. showcase the project. economy will grow 3.7% this year, omies are forecast to collective- government spending and mone- ority at the same time a year ago. down from 5.6% in 2021. It expects ly grow 4.6% this year, down from tary policies in uncharted territo- The economy outpaced the panFor more information or Walter E. Williams is a professor of China, the world’s second-biggest 6.3% in 2021. ry,” World Bank President David demic in the open-ended question, to apply, visit https://www. economics at George Mason University. with 68% of respondents mentionThe arrival of COVID-19 in ear- Malpass said. economy, to see growth decelerate dominionenergy.com/ For America, heading into a ing it in some way as a top 2022 ly 2020 slammed global economic to 5.1% in 2022 from 8% last year. company/community/ The 19 European countries that output. The world economy shrank critical midterm election year, the concern. A similar percentage said share the euro currency are ex- by 3.4% in 2020. Massive relief top political concerns swirl large- the same last year, but mentions dominion-energy-charitablepected to collectively grow 4.2% provided by governments and su- ly around this economic news. Re- of inflation are much higher now: foundation/solar-for-studentsthis year, down from 5.2% in 2021. per-low interest rates engineered cent indicators show Americans 14% this year, compared with less program. And Japan is forecast to regis- by central banks — and eventually concerns shifting in ways that sug- than 1% last year.
business & economy
Fixingn.c. college corruption FAST
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It’s okay to ask questions about when The we begin to get back to comfort normal and hope
Question for Federal Reserve: Has it waited too long to fight inflation?
Outbreaks, bottlenecks expected to slow global growth, affect ’22 midterm elections
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
B6
For the week ending 1/7
Total Cash & Bond Proceeds
$2,497,642,960 Add Receipts
$166,087,738 Less Disbursements
$72,191,476 Reserved Cash
$125,000,000 Unreserved Cash Balance Total
$5,851,224,495 Loan Balance:
$440.3M MARK J. TERRILL | AP PHOTO
ECONOMY from page B5 “What is currently expected in terms of what the Fed is going to do in 2022 is just far too little,” said Jon Steinsson, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Steinsson spoke Saturday on a panel discussion of inflation at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association. Steinsson noted that adjusted for inflation, interest rates are in negative territory despite the economy’s rapid progress. “I think that’s just way too low,” he said. All three economists on Saturday’s panel — Steinsson; Jason Furman, a Harvard economist and former top adviser to President Barack Obama; and Joseph Gagnon, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and former Fed economist — said they thought inflation, under the Fed’s preferred measure, would remain at least 3.5% by year’s end. The Fed thinks it will fall to 2.6%. Powell has frequently said that if the pandemic fades, inflation will decline because supply chains will untangle and more people will take jobs. But Furman argued that other trends will offset some of those benefits. Once COVID-19 cases decline, he said, people will likely drive more and send gas prices up. And as with previous re-openings of the economy, prices for hotel rooms, airline tickets and rental cars could continue to climb.
A sign sits in front of a KB Home construction site, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Simi Valley, Calif.
Treasury broadens COVID relief uses for states, localities The Associated Press STATE AND LOCAL governments will have greater flexibility to spend $350 billion of federal COVID-19 aid under new rules from President Joe Biden’s administration. The revised rules mean that most cities and counties will be free to spend their entire allotment on any government services without having to prove they lost revenue during the pandemic. The rules also allow spending on more types of construction and a wider range of high-speed internet projects, among other things. The final U.S. Treasury Department rules come nearly 10 months after Biden signed the massive $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that included aid for state, local and tribal governments. The money was intended to help shore up their finances, pay the ongoing costs of fighting the virus and invest in longer-term projects to strengthen communities. But some government officials had been hesitant to make spending decisions until they could get greater certainty from
federal officials about what was allowed. The new rules could relieve that anxiety. “I think we’re going to see in the next month or two a lot more spending, particularly by small local governments who had been sort of waiting out the time until this final rule came out,” Michael Wallace, legislative director for housing, community and economic development at the National League of Cities, said Friday. Some local officials had complained that the Treasury’s initial guidelines, issued last May, were too vague in some regards and too rigid in others. In addition to pressing the Treasury for changes, local government groups also had been lobbying Congress to intervene with relaxed criteria. The Treasury said it was responding to the feedback by allowing “broader flexibility and greater simplicity in the program.” “As the Delta and Omicron variants have illustrated, pandemic response needs will continue to evolve,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement Thursday when the
World Economic Forum sees cyber risks and ‘space exploitation’ as dominant concerns The Associated Press LONDON — Cyberthreats and the growing space race are emerging risks to the global economy, adding to existing challenges posed by climate change and the coronavirus pandemic, the World Economic Forum said in a report Tuesday. The Global Risks Report is usually released ahead of the annual elite winter gathering of CEOs and world leaders in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, but the event has been postponed for a second year in a row because of COVID-19. The World Economic Forum still plans some virtual sessions next week. Here’s a rundown of the report, which is based on a survey of about 1,000 experts and leaders: WORLD OUTLOOK As 2022 begins, the pandemic and its economic and societal impact still pose a “critical threat” to the world, the report said. Big differences between rich and poor nations’ access to vaccines mean their economies are recovering at uneven rates, which could widen social divisions and heighten geopolitical tensions. By 2024, the global economy is forecast to be 2.3% smaller than it would have been without the pandemic. But that masks
agency released its rules. “These funds ensure that governments across the country have the flexibility they need to vaccinate their communities, keep schools open, support small businesses, prevent layoffs, and ensure a longterm recovery.” One of the most significant changes will let state and local governments claim up to $10 million of revenue losses during the pandemic without having to prove it. Federal money used to replace lost revenue comes with maximum flexibility, meaning it can go toward projects such as road repairs that would not otherwise be eligible. That $10 million threshold covers the entire allotment for many smaller cities and for about 70% of counties. “It really allows for counties to be able to use the funding in ways in which they know can best support their communities and residents,” Eryn Hurley, deputy director of government affairs for the National Association of Counties, said Friday. Local officials also had pushed for greater flexibility on infrastructure spending, which is generally limited to water, sewer and
to go after more vulnerable targets, the report said. Malware and ransomware attacks have boomed, while the rise of cryptocurrencies makes it easy for online criminals to hide payments they have collected. While those responding to the survey cited cybersecurity threats as a short- and medium-term risk, Klint said the report’s authors were concerned that the issue wasn’t ranked higher, suggesting it’s a “blind spot” for companies and governments. SPACE RACE
AP PHOTO
In this Sept. 12, 2017, file photo, attendees walk past an electronic display showing recent cyberattacks in China at the China Internet Security Conference in Beijing. the different rates of growth between developing nations, whose economies are forecast to be 5.5% smaller than before the pandemic, and rich countries, which are expected to expand 0.9%. DIGITAL DANGERS The pandemic forced a huge shift — requiring many people to work or attend class from home and giving rise to an exploding number of online platforms and devices to aid a transformation
that has dramatically increased security risks, the report said. “We’re at the point now where cyberthreats are growing faster than our ability to effectively prevent and manage them,” said Carolina Klint, a risk management leader at Marsh, whose parent company Marsh McLennan co-authored the report with Zurich Insurance Group and SK Group. Cyberattacks are becoming more aggressive and widespread, as criminals use tougher tactics
Space is the final frontier — for risk. Falling costs for launch technology has led to a new space race between companies and governments. Last year, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space tourism venture Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson took off, while Elon Musk’s Space X business made big gains in launching astronauts and satellites. Meanwhile, a host of countries are beefing up their space programs as they chase geopolitical and military power or scientific and commercial gains, the report said. But all these programs raise the risk of frictions in orbit. “Increased exploitation of these orbits carries the risk of congestion, an increase in debris and the possibility of collisions in a realm with few governance structures to mitigate new threats,” the report said. Space exploitation is one of the areas that respondents thought
broadband internet. The final rules allow money to be used for culvert repairs along roads and to rehabilitate dams and reservoirs that supply drinking water. Funding for broadband can be used to improve cybersecurity and provide faster connections in areas that already have service — opening the way for more internet improvements in cities, instead of primarily rural areas. Treasury’s initial rules focused on areas that lack reliable cable or wire internet speeds of at least 25 megabits per second for downloading and 3 Mbps for uploading. The final rules encourage entities to focus on areas lacking download speeds of 100 Mbps and upload speeds of 20 Mbps. The rules also clarify that the money can go toward construction of affordable housing, childcare facilities, schools, hospitals and other projects. But some things generally remain off limits, including prisons, stadiums and convention centers. The rules also presume an expanded set of households have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, allowing a greater array of services to them. Governments also will be able to use the federal aid to rebuild their workforce to levels above their pre-pandemic staffing and can provide premium pay to a broader share of workers.
had among the least amount of international collaboration to deal with the challenges. Experts and leaders responding to the survey “don’t believe that much is being done in the best possible way moving forward,” World Economic Forum’s managing director, Saadia Zahidi, said at a virtual press briefing from Geneva. Other areas include artificial intelligence, cyberattacks and migration and refugees, she said. CLIMATE CRISIS The environment remains the biggest long-term worry, say forum participants. The planet’s health over the next decade is the dominant concern, according to survey respondents, who cited failure to act on climate change, extreme weather, and loss of biodiversity as the top three risks. The report noted that different countries are taking different approaches, with some moving faster to adopt a zero-carbon model than others. Both approaches come with downsides. While moving slowly could radicalize more people who think the government isn’t acting urgently, a faster shift away from carbon intense industries could spark economic turmoil and throw millions out of work. “Adopting hasty environmental policies could also have unintended consequences for nature,” the report added. “There are still many unknown risks from deploying untested biotechnical and geoengineering technologies.”
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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Incoming CEO at Southwest Air faces numerous challenges The Associated Press DALLAS — Robert Jordan will inherit a long list of challenges when he becomes the sixth CEO of Southwest Airlines, which is struggling to recover from a pandemic that battered its finances and left it a much smaller company. Southwest had never lost money over an entire year in its half-century history until 2020, when it lost $3 billion. The Dallas-based carrier is likely to have finished 2021 in the black — it will report results later this month — thanks to more than $1.1 billion in federal pandemic relief. After thousands of employees left in 2020, staffing shortages contributed to high numbers of canceled and delayed flights on Southwest last summer and again in October. The airline is now on a hiring spree to catch up. Jordan joined Southwest in 1988 and rose through a series of finance and strategy jobs, including overseeing the $1.4 billion acquisition of AirTran Airways in 2011. In June, Southwest announced that Jordan would succeed Gary Kelly, who is retiring as CEO on Feb. 1 after 17 years leading the airline. Jordan talked to The Associated Press shortly before Christmas about those flight disruptions, whether Southwest will charge for checking bags, and what kind of legacy he wants to leave. The comments have been edited for length. Q. You’ve got your work cut out for you. What are you going to focus on first? A. The company is not broken, but ... I think there are some things that we can do to – I’ve used the word modernize. I don’t know if that’s a good word or not because it’s not like we’re behind, but I do think we need to work on, for example, our operational tools. I don’t know that (employees) have all the tools to manage the complex company that we are. Q. Do you mean the way that you reschedule passengers and crews? A. It could be a whole variety of things. When you’re in irregular operations (such as cancellations and delays caused by weather or other factors), I’ve got aircraft out of place and customers out of place, and this aircraft needs to
RICHARD DREW | AP PHOTO
Robert Jordan, incoming Southwest Airlines CEO, is interviewed outside the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. end up in that maintenance base. There are probably tools that we can use to more quickly notice problems and provide solutions. Q. What else? A. I think we have a terrific customer experience. But (I) think about things like, is our Wi-Fi as reliable as it needs to be? I’m not sure that it is. Do we need to think about things like whether power (outlets for passengers) on the aircraft are important? Can you do everything that you need to do as a customer to self-serve for yourself on your phone? Am I going to drastically change the airline? I don’t think so, but I do think that there are areas that we can improve. Q. What about bag fees, change fees and your openseating system? Any changes
coming? A. No. We’re known for doing things that make sense for our customers. No bag fees, no change fees make perfect sense. It’s very hard for me to imagine that we would go to assigned seating. There is absolutely no work on rethinking any of those things. But I do put (assigned seating) sort of in the never-say-never bucket. Q. You are hiring. How long until you’re fully staffed? A. We were hiring about 5,000 this fall, and if you remember, we had about 5,000 that took early retirement (in 2020 and 2021), so we’re making really good progress. It is harder than normal. We get plenty of applications, we just don’t get as many applications for open jobs as we used to. We’re hiring even more in 2022, which is why I
suspect it takes into the summer to get caught up here. Q. What’s happening to wages? A. The market for wages is moved and it feels like it’s continuing to move. I don’t know if there is a such thing as a minimum wage anymore because there is a market wage. It feels like $15 (an hour) has become $18 and $18 may (become) $20. It’s hard to know is when you equalize and when that stops. I think you’re going to continue to see wage pressure for a while. Q. What will 2022 be like for the airline industry? A. I think we all wished that ‘21 was the transition year and ‘22 was back to normal, and it’s just clear that ‘22 is going to continue to be a year of continued transi-
tion. You’ve got staffing questions, just the whole hiring market that everybody’s dealing with. You’ve got continued supply-chain issues. You have the pandemic, which we all hope moves to endemic here at some point. It’s going to make predicting the business and the schedule a little choppy. Q. What does that mean for the company? A. The (last) 21 months have been tough on people, so I want 2022 to be a year where we really invest in our employees, love on our employees, and then get back to being consistently profitable. I’m not arguing (Southwest will be profitable) at the levels that we need long term — I think it’s going to take a little while to get there — but we’ve got to get back to sustained profitability versus off-andon profitability.
A pedestrian walks in front of a sign at Zynga in San Francisco, Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
JEFF CHIU | AP PHOTO
Grand Theft Auto maker buys FarmVille company in $12.7B deal The Associated Press Take-Two Interactive, maker of “Grand Theft Auto” and “Red Dead Redemption,” is buying Zynga, maker of “FarmVille” and “Words With Friends,” in a cashand-stock deal valued at about $12.7 billion. The acquisition announced Monday would wed a powerhouse in console gaming, Take-Two,
with a mobile gaming company with an almost cult-like following. Zynga shareholders will receive $3.50 in cash and $6.36 in shares of Take-Two common stock for each share of Zynga outstanding stock at closing. The transaction is valued at $9.86 per share of Zynga common stock. “This strategic combination brings together our best-in-class
console and PC franchises, with a market-leading, diversified mobile publishing platform that has a rich history of innovation and creativity,” Take-Two Chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick said in a prepared statement. He will retain those roles when the companies become one. Take-Two anticipates the deal will help bring about mobile versions of some of its console and personal computer based games. Take-Two said Monday it anticipates approximately $100 million in annual cost savings within the first two years after the transaction is complete. Zynga CEO Frank Gibeau and its president of publishing, Bernard Kim, will oversee the integration and day-to-day operations of the combined Zynga and T2 Mobile Games business,
which will operate under the Zynga brand as its own label within the Take-Two. Take-Two will also expand its board to 10 members upon closing, adding two members from Zynga’s board. The transaction includes a goshop provision, giving Zynga 45 days to hear alternative proposals. The deal is expected to close during the first quarter of TakeTwo’s fiscal 2023, ending June 30. It still needs approval of both Take-Two and Zynga stockholders. It has received approval from both companies’ boards. Shares of Zynga Inc., based in San Francisco, jumped 52.5% to $9.15. Shares of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., based in New York City, fell 8.7% to $150.25.
“This strategic combination brings together our bestin-class console and PC franchises, with a marketleading, diversified mobile publishing platform that has a rich history of innovation and creativity.” Take-Two Chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick
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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
2022 Genesis G70
Simple Sporty Excellence The best bang-for-the-buck sports sedan By Jordan Golson North State Journal SAN DIEGO — Every once in a while, I’ll drive a car and wonder why it isn’t more popular. Many decently average cars are nonetheless extremely popular, but the other way around is a rarity. A great car that you don’t see on the roads very much typically has something wrong with it. The Alfa Romeo 4C is the best example of this. It’s an incredible driver’s car, making perhaps the best engine noise of any four-cylinder around, and it’s one of the last sports cars with proper manual steering. However, you don’t see many of them around because it has atrocious reliability and is extremely difficult to get in and out of. It’s a budget supercar, with supercar drawbacks. Still, I love it. But then, occasionally, you’ll have a winner of a car that hasn’t been discovered by most of the world. And that’s the case with the redesigned 2022 Genesis G70. This is an astonishingly good sports sedan that should be at the top of the list for anyone
PHOTOS COURTESY GENESIS
considering a BMW 3-Series, an Audi A4, or a Mercedes C-Class. Those are all great vehicles, but I think the G70 has them beat on price, looks, and that all-important factory: exclusivity. There aren’t many of them around, so when you see one, you know the owner is someone with class and style. Or at least knows a strong value proposition when they see one. My 2022 Genesis G70 AWD 3.3T listed for $45,745 and was incredibly well-equipped. The engine is of particular note, a 3.3-liter turbo V6 making 365 horse-
power and 376 lb-ft, mated to a silky smooth 8-speed automatic. For $2,100 less, Genesis will sell you a rear-drive version instead (though you also lose the heated steering wheel, for some reason). Genesis is to Hyundai as Lexus is to Toyota, so it has much excellent Hyundai tech inside. The company’s terrific adaptive cruise control and active lane-centering system are here, as are all the expected safety things like automatic emergency braking (including a feature that’ll brake if you try and turn left in front of oncoming traffic).
Blind-spot monitoring, automatic high beams, and windshield wipers, and a feature that’ll keep you from opening your door into an oncoming vehicle are here too. And speaking of safety, the G70 includes a center airbag that pops out of the center console between the front passengers, one of the only cars to do so. The G70 is incredibly well sorted on the road (albeit with a firm, sporty suspension that should be familiar to anyone who has been in a BMW before), and it should be since it was tuned at the Nurburgring — and Hyundai’s (now former) head of R&D was poached from BMW a few years back. As always, you can spend more for some go-faster bits, including a $3,900 option on the 3.3T AWD that adds a limited-slip differential, heads-up display, nicer leather, and a 360-degree camera. If those go-faster bits make you go too much faster, it also upgrades you to a Brembo brake system. The $4,300 Sport Advanced Package gives a bunch of nice look-and-feel upgrades, as well as ventilated seats and an improved stereo. But I did not find my $46,000 G70 to be lacking in any way. This car was refreshed for 2022, and it’s nicely elegant inside. A sizeable 10.25-inch touchscreen sits atop the center stack, with some easy-to-understand controls for
climate sitting below. A large bin in front of the chunky shifter is perfect for your phone, while sporty leather seats hug you in a soothing embrace. CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, though not wireless. And the outside looks just as good as the inside, especially the Genesis signature quad lights. Two LED strips by each headlight give the Genesis a memorable front end by day or night. The look is echoed in the rear, with taut lines pulling back to a very Germanic rear-end. The car suggests speed and agility, which is what it delivers. And with a 5-year/60K-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 10-year/100K powertrain warranty, it’ll keep delivering that experience for many years to come. I have praised Genesis vehicles many times, and I suspect I’ll continue to do so. Hyundai seemingly can’t make a lousy vehicle right now, so it makes sense that the luxury division wouldn’t either. The G70 is a car that should be selling in far higher numbers than it currently is. Still, it doesn’t have quite the brand cachet that its competitors from Ingolstadt and Munich do — but it also means you won’t be driving the same thing as four other people in the Starbucks drive-thru line. And isn’t that something worth paying for?
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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features Golden Globe Awards carry on, without stars or a telecast The Associated Press THE GOLDEN GLOBE Awards, Hollywood’s so-called biggest party that regularly drew 18 million television viewers, was reduced to a live-blog Sunday night for its 79th edition. The embattled Hollywood Foreign Press Association proceeded with its film awards Sunday night without a telecast, nominees, a red carpet, a host, press or even a livestream. Instead, members of the HFPA and some recipients of the group’s philanthropic grants gathered at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for a 90-minute private event, announcing the names of the film and television winners on the organization’s social media feeds. Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” won several big awards, for best picture comedy or musical, best actress for Rachel Zegler and best supporting actess for Ariana DeBose. Netflix’s gothic Western “The Power of the Dog” was named best picture drama, along with other honors for Jane Campion’s direction and Kodi Smit-McPhee’s supporting performance. Other film winners included Will Smith for “King Richard,” Nicole Kidman for “Being the Ricardos” and Andrew Garfield for “tick, tick...BOOM!” The Japanese film “Drive My Car,” also a critics’ group darling, got best non-English language motion picture, while “En-
MGM VIA AP
This image released by MGM shows Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani in “House of Gucci.” canto” won for animation. Though announcing winners on social media might seem like a straightforward task, those following along on Twitter only might have been somewhat confused at times. The tweets often left out exactly which project a person had won for. To announce the winner for best actor, motion picture musical or comedy, the organization tweeted, “It takes 43 muscles to smile. Thanks for the workout Andrew Garfield and congratulations for taking home the #GoldenGlobe for Best Actor—Motion Picture—Musical/Comedy,” failing to mention
that the award was for his turn in “tick, tick...BOOM!” Other times, the tweets were just downright baffling. In announcing the “West Side Story” win, the group initially wrote, “If laughter is the best medicine @WestSideMovie is the cure for what ails you” about the drama that’s full of death and tragedy. They later deleted the tweet and wrote a new one about “music” being the best medicine. Television winners included: Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong for “Succession,” which won best television drama, Jean Smart for “Hacks,” which also won best tele-
vision comedy, Jason Sudeikis for “Ted Lasso,” Kate Winslet for “Mare of Easttown,” O Yeong-su for “Squid Game” and Michael Keaton for “Dopesick.” Barry Jenkins’ “The Underground Railroad” got best limited series. The group said on its website that “Pose” star Michaela Jaé Rodriguez became the first trans person to win a Golden Globe. None of the winners appeared to be present at the event, nor did they immediately comment on their awards. Jamie Lee Curtis, however, chimed in with a video message shared on the group’s Twitter, talking about the HFPA’s charitable work. “I just wanted to honor and stand with them in this continued advocacy,” Curtis said. “I’m proud to be associated with them in this venture.” The HFPA enlisted leaders of the groups it has given grants to to announce the winners. Arnold Schwarzenegger chimed in with a video message as well, thanking the group for recognizing him as the “new star of the year” in 1977. That the organization proceeded with any kind of event came as a surprise to many in Hollywood. The HFPA came under fire after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed in February ethical lapses and a stunning lack of diversity — there was not a single Black journalist in the 87-person group.
Studios and PR firms threatened to boycott. Tom Cruise even returned his three Golden Globes, while other A-listers condemned the group on social media. They pledged reformlast year, but even after a public declaration during the 78th show, their longtime broadcast partner NBC announced in May that it would not air the 2022 Golden Globes because “Change of this magnitude takes time and work.” The broadcaster typically pays some $60 million for the rights to air the show, which ranks among the most-watched awards shows behind the Oscars and the Grammys. Though often ridiculed, Hollywood had come to accept the Golden Globes as a legitimate and helpful stop in a competitive awards season. And for audiences around the world, it was a reasonably lively night, with glamorous fashion, major stars, the promise of champagne-fueled speeches, and hosts — from Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to Ricky Gervais — that regularly poked fun at the HFPA. After the NBC blow, it was widely expected that the HFPA would simply sit the year out. Hollywood studios and publicists also largely opted out from engaging with the group as they had in years past, with some declining to provide screeners of films for consideration. When nominees were announced last month, few celebrated publicly. The press association claims that in the months since its 2021 show, it has remade itself. The group has added a chief diversity officer; overhauled its board; inducted 21 new members, including six Black journalists; brought in the NAACP on a five-year partnership; and updated its code of conduct.
Bob Saget, beloved TV dad of ‘Full House,’ dead at 65 The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Bob Saget, the actor-comedian known for his role as beloved single dad Danny Tanner on the sitcom “Full House” and as the wisecracking host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” died while on a stand-up tour. He was 65. Deputies in Orange County, Florida, were called Sunday about an “unresponsive man” in a hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando and found Saget dead, according to a sheriff’s statement on Twitter. Detectives found “no signs of foul play or drug use in this case.” Saget was in Florida as part of his “I Don’t Do Negative Comedy Tour.” After warm audience receptions to his gigs Friday in Orlando and Saturday in the Ponte Vedra Beach resort area, he celebrated online. “I’m back in comedy like I was when I was 26. I guess I’m finding my new voice and loving every moment of it,” he posted Saturday on Instagram. Fellow comedians and friends praised Saget not only for his wit, but his kindness. “I am broken. I am gutted. I am in complete and utter shock. I will never ever have another friend like him,” wrote John Sta-
mos, who co-starred with Saget on “Full House.” “I love you so much Bobby.” “I have no words. Bob was one of the best humans beings I’ve ever known in my life. I loved him so much,” said Candace Cameron Bure, who played Saget’s daughter on “Full House.” “In often a ruthless business he was historically not just hilarious but more importantly one of the kindest human beings I ever met in my career,” actor Richard Lewis wrote on Twitter. In a statement Sunday, Saget’s family members said they are “devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today.... Though we ask for privacy at this time, we invite you to join us in remembering the love and laughter that Bob brought to the world.” Saget the stand-up showed his flip side with what became a much-talked-about cameo in the 2005 documentary “The Aristocrats” — in which 100 comics riffed on the world’s dirtiest joke — that revealed his notoriously filthy sense of humor. Raunchy comedy wasn’t part of his long-running network TV shows. He hosted the family friendly “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and played the squeaky clean widower and dad to
JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP, FILE
Bob Saget arrives at the People’s Choice Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, in Los Angeles.
House.” He also appeared in some episodes of the sitcom’s “Fuller House” 2016-20 sequel and was heard as the narrator on “How I Met Your Mother,” which ran for nine seasons on CBS. In early 2020, Saget was preparing for the start of his comedy tour when the pandemic put it on hold. He turned his energies to a podcast, “Bob Saget’s Here For You,” which gave fans an open mic to comment and ask him questions. He focused occasionally on directing over the years, including on HBO’s “The Mind of the Married Man,” and the Norm Macdonald film “Dirty Work,” and appeared on Broadway in “Hand to God” and in “The Drowsy Chaperone.” He drew praise as producer-director of the 1996 TV film “For Hope,” loosely based on the battle of his late sister, Gay, with the tissue disease scleroderma, and appealed for increased federal support for research funds. He remembered his sister in a January 2020 post, noting that she died when she was 47 and would have been 73 that month. Saget had daughters Aubrey, Lara and Jennifer with first wife Sherri Kramer before divorcing in 1997. He married Kelly Rizzo in 2018.
three young girls on “Full House,” the ABC sitcom that also brought fame to Olsen twins Mary-Kate and Ashley when it debuted in 1987. “Bob was the most loving, compassionate and generous man. We are deeply saddened that he is no longer with us but know that he will continue to be by our side to guide us as gracefully as he always has,” the Olsens said in a joint statement.
Saget was born in Philadelphia on May 17, 1956, to Benjamin, a supermarket executive, and Rosalyn, who worked in hospital administration. He graduated Temple University and enrolled briefly in the University of Southern California to study film. He left the college but stayed in Los Angeles and shifted to stand-up comedy, which led to small roles in TV and film before he found success with “Full
($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in
the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice
of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.
The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return
of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not
cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.
TAKE NOTICE
FORSYTH NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 19 SP 370 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by David Johnston and Jonan Johnston (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): David Johnston and Jonan K. Johnston) to Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, Trustee(s), dated May 25, 2018, and recorded in Book No. 017138, at Page 00200 in Wake County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Wake County, North Carolina
WAKE AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 19 SP 1281 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Vernie Damenor (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Vernie S. Damenor) to , Trustee(s), dated December 13, 1999, and recorded in Book No. 2098, at Page 104 in Forsyth County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Forsyth County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed
and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the Wake County Courthouse door, the Salisbury Street entrance in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on January 24, 2022 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Fuquay Varina in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 50, Brookside Subdivision, Phase 3A, as shown on that plat recorded in Plat Book 2016, Pages 19261927, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 281 Rhonda Lilley Drive, Fuquay Varina, North Carolina. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars
that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:15 PM on January 26, 2022 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Winston Salem in the County of Forsyth, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING KNOWN AND DESIGNATED as Lot No. 56, as shown on the Map of Broadbay Heights, recorded in Plat Book 25 at page 123 in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Forsyth County, North Carolina, reference to which is hereby made for a more particular description. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 2350 Blecker Drive, Winston Salem, North Carolina. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1).
SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 1265719 - 10274
SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE By: ___________________________________ Attorney at Law Hutchens Law Firm LLP Attorneys for Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. PO Box 1028 Fayetteville, NC 28302 Telephone: (910) 864-6888 c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 1274064 - 10295
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
B10 TAKE NOTICE
CABARRUS 19 SP 454 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CABARRUS COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Clairesa L. Scales to Investors Title Insurance, Trustee(s), which was dated July 7, 2015 and recorded on July 8, 2015 in Book 11488 at Page 0124, Cabarrus County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CABARRUS COUNTY 20SP158 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY JORDAN L. GADDY AND EDWARD B. GADDY DATED OCTOBER 2, 2018 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 13211 AT PAGE 222 IN THE CABARRUS COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CABARRUS COUNTY 20sp157 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY LARRY W. MACK AND CINDY L. MACK DATED NOVEMBER 7, 2001 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 3504 AT PAGE 113 IN THE CABARRUS COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the
CUMBERLAND IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CUMBERLAND COUNTY 19SP1323 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY TERRY J. CARREIA AND GWENDOLYN F. CARREIA DATED MARCH 20, 2003 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 6037 AT PAGE 064 IN THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in
18 SP 555 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Kevin W. Heath and Anne J. Heath to TRSTE, Inc., Trustee(s), which was dated July 20, 2007 and recorded on July 26, 2007 in Book 7656 at Page 797, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual
19 SP 1637 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Rodrigo A. Suarez and Melissa D. Suarez to Kenneth C. Praschan, Trustee(s), which was dated June 26, 1997 and recorded on June 27, 1997 in Book 4682 at Page 0112, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee
AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 21 SP 248
Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Wilfredo Viruet, Sr. to Jennifer R. Cooney, Trustee(s), dated the 17th day of December, 2008, and recorded in Book 8040, Page 085, and Additional Deed of Trust in Book 8040, Page 094, in Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Cumberland County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in the City
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 330 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Veronica Valerie Eaglin and Michael J. Eaglin, Jr. (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Michael Joseph Eaglin, Jr.) to National Title Network, Trustee(s), dated July 19, 2012, and recorded in Book No. 8954, at Page 673 in Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Cumberland County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 21 SP 732 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Daniel J. Kidd and Renata Kidd (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Renata Kidd and Daniel J. Kidd) to F. Stuart Clarke, Trustee(s), dated May 20, 2003, and recorded in Book No. 6102, at Page 573 in Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Cumberland County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned
21 CVS 1550 PUBLICATION DATES: January 12, 2022 and January 19, 2022 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in a judgment bearing the caption “COMMUNITY LOAN
evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 25, 2022 at 01:00 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, to wit: Being Lot No. 100 of PORTERS LANDING, Phase 4, a map of said property being on file in the Office of the Register of Deeds for Cabarrus County, North Carolina in Map Book 40, at Page 91, specific reference thereto being hereby made for a more complete description thereof by metes and bounds. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 11623 BAYSTONE PLACE, CONCORD, NC 28025. A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent
(5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Clairesa L. Scales. An Order for possession of the property may be issued
pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b) (2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the
loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 19-08557-FC01
holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 26, 2022 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Jordan L. Gaddy and Edward B. Gaddy, dated October 2, 2018 to secure the original principal amount of $184,594.00, and recorded in Book 13211 at Page 222 of the Cabarrus County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. 1408 Lane St, Address of property: Kannapolis, NC 28083 Tax Parcel ID:
56243142930000 J o r d a n Present Record Owners: Gaddy and spouse, Edward Gaddy And Being more commonly known as: 1408 Lane St, Kannapolis, NC 28083 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Jordan Gaddy and spouse, Edward Gaddy. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition
expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing. SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are
a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. The date of this Notice is January 6, 2022. LLG Trustee LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 20-109618
secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 18, 2022 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Larry W. Mack and Cindy L. Mack, dated November 7, 2001 to secure the original principal amount of $128,981.00, and recorded in Book 3504 at Page 113 of the Cabarrus County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. 5751 Claw Ct, Address of property: Concord, NC 28025 5652 97 0214 Tax Parcel ID:
0000 Larry Walter Present Record Owners: Mack and Cindy I. Mack And Being more commonly known as: 5751 Claw Ct, Concord, NC 28025 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Larry Walter Mack and Cindy I. Mack. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition
expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing. SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are
a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. The date of this Notice is November 18, 2021. LLG TRUSTEE LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 20-109732
the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 11:00AM on January 28, 2022 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Terry J. Carreia and Gwendolyn F. Carreia, dated March 20, 2003 to secure the original principal amount of $78,260.00, and recorded in Book 6037 at Page 064 of the Cumberland County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 512 Jennings
Farm Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28314 Tax Parcel ID: 0 4 07-3 5 0955 Present Record Owners: Gwendolyn F. Carreia And Being more commonly known as: 512 Jennings Farm Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28314 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Gwendolyn F. Carreia. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition
expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing. SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the
purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. The date of this Notice is November 22, 2021. LLG Trustee LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 19-107439
and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 19, 2022 at 01:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, to wit: Being all of Lot No. 17, Block “E”, in a subdivision known as Revision of Eaglewood Forest, Section Two, according to a plat of same duly recorded in Book of Plats 35, Page 46, Cumberland County Registry. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 3613 Yorktown Road, Hope Mills, NC 28348. A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE
EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Kevin Heath and wife, Ann Heath. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental
agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b) (2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may
request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 18-19659-FC01
will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 26, 2022 at 01:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING all of Lot 84 in a Subdivision known as LAFAYETTE VILLAGE, Section 16, according to a plat of the same duly recorded in Book of Plats 33, Page 64, Cumberland County Registry. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 1935 Aspen Cir, Fayetteville, NC 28304. A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time
of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Rodrigo A. Suarez and wife, Melissa D. Suarez. An Order for possession of the property may be issued
pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b) (2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include,
but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 19-19048-FC01
of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 24, 2022 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 8 according to a plat entitled Recombination and Zero Lot Line Subdivision for Fayetteville Area Habitat For Humanity, duly recorded in Book of Plats 116, Page 165, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 404 Vanstory Street, Fayetteville, North Carolina.
If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice
of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE
Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in NCGS 45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by NCGS 7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to
this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale.
foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 24, 2022 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Fayetteville in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: The land referred to herein below is situated in the County of Cumberland, State of North Carolina, and is described as follows: Being all of Lot 1 & 6, in a subdivision known as Callaway Construction, according to a plat of the same being duly recorded in Book of Plats 118, Page 179, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 330 Rachel Road, Fayetteville, North Carolina. Parcel ID; 0542-25-4310Commonly known as 330 Rachel Road, Fayetteville, NC 28311 However, by showing this address no additional coverage is provided Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. 45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third
party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. 7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the
purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property
pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 2216 - 4939
Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 24, 2022 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Fayetteville in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 17, Block “I” in a subdivision known as Lagrange, Section Five, according to a plat of the same duly recorded in Book of Plats 28, Page 66, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 7557 Decatur Drive, Fayetteville, North Carolina. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. 45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars
($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. 7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.
A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued
pursuant to N.C.G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE
SERVICING, LLC, Plaintiff vs. ASHLEY N. FANNON, Heir of Marsha Lewis Fannon; ALEXIS S. FANNON, Heir of Marsha Lewis Fannon. and SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC., Substitute Trustee, Defendants” 21 CVS 1550 Cumberland County and pursuant to the terms of the judgment, the undersigned Commissioner will offer for sale that certain property as described below. Said sale will be held in the City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 24, 2022 at the Cumberland County Courthouse door and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more
particularly described as follows: BEING, all of Lot 13 in a subdivision known as DALTONS RIDGE, SECTION ONE, according to a plat of the same recorded in Plat Book 113, Page 155, Cumberland County Registry.
A cash deposit or certified check (no personal check) in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the high bid will be required at the time of the sale. The sale will be held open for ten days for upset bids as required by law. This the ____ day of _______________, 20____.
Benoit, Commissioner Post Office Box 2505 Fayetteville, NC 28302 (910) 864-6888
The property is being sold “as is”, without warranties, subject to all taxes, special assessments and prior liens or encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Any assessments, costs or fees resulting from the sale will be due and payable from the purchaser at the sale.
BY: _____________________________ Susan R.
c/o Hutchens Law Firm LLP P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Case No: 1322744 (FC.FAY)
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
B11
TAKE NOTICE
CUMBERLAND IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CUMBERLAND COUNTY 19SP935 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY PAUL W. ROLLIZO, SR. AND MELISSA L. ROLLIZO DATED DECEMBER 31, 2004 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 6763 AT PAGE 242 AND MODIFIED BY AGREEMENT RECORDED DECEMBER 27, 2012 IN BOOK 9074, PAGE 346 AND FURTHER MODIFIED BY AGREEMENT RECORDED MAY 4, 2018 IN BOOK 10299, AT PAGE 62 AND FURTHER MODIFIED BY AGREEMENT RECORDED DECEMBER 20, 2018 IN BOOK 10422, PAGE
DAVIDSON IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION DAVIDSON COUNTY 21SP101 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY RAY ANTHONY PRESSLEY AND BARBARA JEAN PRESSLEY DATED JUNE 29, 2006 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 1711 AT PAGE 104 IN THE DAVIDSON COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default
JOHNSTON IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION JOHNSTON COUNTY 18SP518 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY BARRY L. LEWIS AND TAMMY LEWIS DATED MARCH 28, 2001 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 2036 AT PAGE 487 AND MODIFIED BY AGREEMENT RECORDED ON JULY 16, 2013 IN BOOK 4324 AT PAGE 393 IN THE JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE
19 SP 586 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, JOHNSTON COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by John M. Guzi, Jr. and Gary Lee Hollar, Jr. to William R. Echols,, Trustee(s), which was dated July 8, 2009 and recorded on July 13, 2009 in Book 3730 at Page 585, Johnston County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION JOHNSTON COUNTY 19SP619 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY BARBARA H. BELLO AND XAVIER C. BELLO DATED AUGUST 27, 2002 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 2280 AT PAGE 174 IN THE JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained
UNION GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION 21 CVS 1015 NOTICE OF JUDICIAL FORECLOSURE SALE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF UNION Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Plaintiff, vs. Jason E. Fout a/k/a Jason Edward Fout; Any Spouse of Jason E. Fout a/k/a Jason Edward Fout; Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, Defendant(s). NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Jeremy B. Wilkins,
19 SP 800 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, UNION COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Skyler Thomas Jones to Ryan Douglas Shoaf, Trustee(s), which was dated November 1, 2016 and recorded on November 9, 2016 in Book 06815 at Page 0348, Union County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 21, 2022 at 12:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described
WAKE Notice to Creditors
Notice to Creditors Having qualified as the Administrator of the Estate of Antonio Rosas Vega a/k/a Antonio Vega Rosas (2021E-4509), late of Wake County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION WAKE COUNTY 19SP719 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY EUGENE CLIFTON HARRIS AND CAROLYN L. ROGERS DATED DECEMBER 29, 2000 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 8771 AT PAGE 932 RERECORDED ON FEBRUARY 12, 2001 IN BOOK 8806, PAGE 1090 IN THE WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to
788 IN THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:30AM on January 24, 2022 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Paul W. Rollizo, Sr. and Melissa L. Rollizo, dated December 31, 2004 to secure the original principal amount of $95,615.00, and recorded in Book 6763 at Page 242 of the Cumberland County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate,
but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 5304 Blanco Dr, Parkton, NC 28371 Tax Parcel ID: 0 4 03-247463Present Record Owners: W. Paul Rollizo and Melissa L. Rollizo And Being more commonly known as: 5304 Blanco Dr, Parkton, NC 28371 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Paul W. Rollizo and Melissa L. Rollizo. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition
expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing. SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate
the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. The date of this Notice is January 4, 2022. LLG Trustee LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 17-095040
in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 20, 2022 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Davidson County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Ray Anthony Pressley and Barbara Jean Pressley, dated June 29, 2006 to secure the original principal amount of $42,275.00, and recorded in Book 1711 at Page 104 of the Davidson County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 705 Tussey St, Lexington, NC 27292
Tax Parcel ID: 6735-01-288127 Present Record Owners: Barbara Jean Pressley And Being more commonly known as: 705 Tussey St, Lexington, NC 27292 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Barbara Jean Pressley. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to
all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing. SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or
after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. The date of this Notice is November 12, 2021. LLG Trustee LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 21-111288
Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 18, 2022 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Johnston County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Barry L. Lewis and Tammy Lewis, dated March 28, 2001 to secure the original principal amount of $131,250.00, and recorded in Book 2036 at Page 487 of the Johnston County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.
Address of property: 210 Hwy East, Angier, NC 27501 Tax Parcel ID: Present Record Owners: Lewis
offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.
a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.
conducting the sale on January 18, 2022 at 12:00 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Johnston County, North Carolina, to wit: BEGINNING at a stake in the eastern line of Massey Street, said stake being North 38 degrees 20 minutes East 147.75 feet along the eastern line of Massey Street from the intersection of the eastern line of Massey Street with the northern line of Oak Street, said stake cornering with the property of Willie Hill; thence along the eastern line of Massey Street North 38 degrees 20 minutes East 77.25 feet to a stake cornering with the property of Mr. Wall; thence along the line of Mr. Wall, South 51 degrees 40 minutes East 145 feet to a stake cornering with the lands of C.L. Richardson; thence along Richardson’s line, South 38 degrees 20 minutes West 77.25 feet to a stake cornering with the property of Willie Hill; thence along the line of Willie Hill, North 51 degrees 40 minutes West 145 feet to the point and place of BEGINNING, according to a plat and survey of the property by William Ragsdale, Jr., Registered Land
Engineer, dated December 17, 1959. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 310 North Massey Street, Selma, NC 27576-2517. A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes,
special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are John M. Guzi, Jr. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b) (2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to
the effective date of the termination. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 19-06010-FC02
and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 19, 2022 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Johnston County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Barbara H. Bello and Xavier C. Bello, dated August 27, 2002 to secure the original principal amount of $87,071.00, and recorded in Book 2280 at Page 174 of the Johnston County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.
Present Record Owners: Barbara H. Bello
expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.
purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.
Address of property: Chaparral Dr, Clayton, NC 27527 Tax Parcel ID:
High
2104
05J05200X
19370
NC
13A01014B L. Barry
And Being more commonly known as: 19370 NC 210 Hwy East, Angier, NC 27501 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Barry L. Lewis. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being
The Heirs of
And Being more commonly known as: 2104 High Chaparral Dr, Clayton, NC 27527 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are The Heirs of Barbara H. Bello. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition
The date of this Notice is October 20, 2021. LLG TRUSTEE LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 09-119932
Parkway,
Suite
400
SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are
SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the
The date of this Notice is November 19, 2021. LLG Trustee LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 19-107902
Parkway,
Suite
400
Commissioner, pursuant to the Order/Judgment entered in the above-captioned case on November 2, 2021 (“Order”), and by virtue of the appointment, power and authority contained in that Order, has been authorized and ordered to sell the property commonly known as 7133 Stoney Ridge Road, Matthews, NC 28104 (“Property”). Said Property is secured by the Deed of Trust executed by Jason E. Fout and Amanda Fout, dated September 1, 2006 and recorded on September 6, 2006 in Book 04292 at Page 0416 of the Union County, North Carolina Registry. The Property shall be sold together with improvements located thereon, towards satisfaction of the debt due by JASON E. FOUT, and secured by the lien against such property in favor of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.. The Commissioner will offer for sale to the highest bidder at a public auction at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 25, 2022 at 12:30 PM the following described real property (including all improvements thereon) located in Union County, North Carolina and described as follows: BEING ALL OF LOT 4 IN BLOCK 3 FOR FAIRFIELD PLANTATION, SECTION 1, AS SHOWN ON A MAP
THEREOF RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 6 AT PAGE 142 OF THE UNION COUNTY REGISTRY. The above described property will be sold, transferred and conveyed “AS IS, WHERE IS” subject to liens or encumbrances of record which are superior to such Deed of Trust, together with all unpaid taxes and assessments and any recorded releases. Neither the Commissioner nor the holder of the debt secured by such Deed of Trust, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Commissioner or the holder of the debt make any representation of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health, or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such conditions expressly are disclaimed. The Commissioner shall convey title to the property by non-warranty deed, without any covenants or warranties, express or implied. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 1-339.29 (c) in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the judge or clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant
to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current record owners of the property as reflected on the records of the UNION COUNTY Register of Deeds’ office not more than ten (10) days prior to the date hereof are Jason E. Fout. A cash deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchasing price will be required at the time of the sale. Any successful bidder shall be required to tender the full balance of the purchase price of bid in cash or certified check at the time the Commissioner tenders a deed for the Property or attempts to tender such deed, and should said successful bidder fail to pay the full balance purchase price of bid at that time, said bidder shall remain liable on said bid as provided for under
North Carolina law. The sale will be reported to the court and will remain open for advance or upset bids for a period of ten (10) days as required by law. If the Commissioner is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the Commissioner. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the Commissioner, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. JEREMY B. WILKINS, Commissioner 5431 Oleander Drive, Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 (910) 202-2800 Phone (888) 207-9353 Facsimile File No.: 09-04070-JUD01
property situated in Union County, North Carolina, to wit: Lying and being in the City of Waxhaw, Union County, North Carolina containing acres, more or less, and being more particularly described as follows:
File 25, Together with improvements located thereon; said property being the designated drainage field for Lot 5, Ennis Woods Estate, which is located at 730 Ennis Road, Waxhaw, North Carolina. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 730 Ennis RD, Waxhaw, NC 28173. A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes,
special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are U.S. Bank, National Association. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b) (2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return
of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 19-19357-FC01
persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
Co-Executors of the Estate of Betty Rowe Penny a/k/a Betty Lou Penny
114 Raleigh Street
This the 12th day of January 2022.
c/o Lisa M. Schreiner
Melanie L. Penny, Melinda P. Canady and Melissa P. Murphy
P.O. Box 446
All that certain parcel of land situate in the County of Union, State of North Carolina, being known and designated as follows: All that certain property situated in the Township of Sandy Ridge in the county of Union and State of North Carolina and being described in a deed dated 2/1/2001 and recorded 2/14/01 in Book 1503 Page 362 among the Land Records of the County and State set forth above and referenced as follows: Lot 5, Subdivision Ennis Woods Estates, Plat Book Cabinet G, Plat page File 25. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 730 Ennis Road, Waxhaw North Carolina. Being the same property as conveyed from Substitute Trustee Services, Inc., Substitute Trustee to Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. as described in Book 5480 Page 358, dated 1/19/2011, recorded 1/24/2011 AND All that certain property situated in the Township of Sandy Ridge in the County of Union and State of North Carolina and being described as follows: Lot 5A, Ennis Woods Estates, Plat Book Cabinet G, Plat Page
Having qualified as Co-Executors of the Estate of Betty Rowe Penny a/k/a Betty Lou Penny (Wake 21-E-4755), late of Wake County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of March 2022 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All
corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 24th day of March 2022 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 11:00AM on January 21, 2022 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Wake County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Eugene Clifton Harris and Carolyn L. Rogers, dated December 29, 2000 to secure the original principal amount of $95,000.00, and recorded in Book 8771 at Page 932 of the Wake County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: Bridgemont Ln, Willow Spring, NC 27592 Tax Parcel ID:
6
5
1
0271216
3
This the 12th day of January 2022. Linda Vega Administrator of the Estate of Antonio Rosas Vega a/k/a
Present Record Owners: Carolyn L. Harris
The Heirs of
And Being more commonly known as: 6513 Bridgemont Ln, Willow Spring, NC 27592 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are The Heirs of Carolyn L. Harris. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526 (For publication: 12/15, 12/22, 12/29, 2021 and 1/5/2022
Antonio Vega Rosas
114 Raleigh Street
c/o Lisa M. Schreiner
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
P.O. Box 446
(For publication: 12/22, 12/29/2021, 1/5/2022 and 1/12/2022)
all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.
the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.
SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate
The date of this Notice is December 8, 2021. LLG Trustee LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 15-073515
400
B12
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
pen & paper pursuits
sudoku
solutions From January 5 2022
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 46 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2022 | RANDOLPHRECORD.COM
THE RANDOLPH COUNTY EDITION OF THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Randolph record
PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Asheboro City Mayor David Smith talks about the Asheboro Copperheads rebrand to the Asheboro Zoo Keepers during a press conference at the Asheboro City Recreation center.
COUNTY NEWS One dead after shooting in Randleman One person is dead after a shooting at a part in Randleman on Saturday night. Just before midnight on Saturday night, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting at a residence on Leonae Drive in Randleman. The victim, Daniel Lopez Vences, 20, had been transported in a private vehicle to Randolph Hospital prior to the arrival of law enforcement. The alleged shooter had also fled the scene. The sheriff’s office confirmed Sunday morning that the victim had died from his injuries at the hospital. The alleged shooter has not been identified. The investigation is ongoing.
Randolph County sees increase in Covid cases Covid cases have risen steadily in Randolph County since midNovember. Through Sunday, January 9, the county experienced an average of over 136 new cases per day. Over 65% of the county’s adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine with 95% of residents over 65 having received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC. The CDC also reported that of the 18,909 residents over 65 who were fully vaccinated, 33.1% had received a booster dose.
RCC veterinary assistant program gains national designation Students in the Randolph Community College veterinary assistant program can now sit for the national veterinary assistant exam as the college’s program was approved by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. RCC is the only NAVTA-approved Veterinary Assistant program in the state and one of 28 programs approved at technical or community colleges nationwide.
5
20177 52016 $1.00
8
Baseball team changes name to ZooKeepers Asheboro’s collegiate team undergoes rebranding
North State Journal staff ASHEBORO — Asheboro’s summer collegiate baseball team has a new name. It’s the Asheboro ZooKeepers. Formerly known as the Asheboro Copperheads, the Coastal Plain League team announced Monday that it has a new name. The team, which was founded in 1999, blasted Guns ‘N Roses’s “Welcome to the Jungle” as it unveiled logos and uniforms at Asheboro Rec-
reation Center. The team’s colors will change to a safari-theme with tan and brown dominating the logo and uniforms. Gone will be the burnt orange and black of the Copperheads. According to a release from the team, the ZooKeepers will have four official colors: khaki, brown, black, and jungle green. “Over the past year or so, we took a long look at our brand and thought this was an ideal time to create something new and fresh,” owner Doug Pugh said in a statement. “We’ve always been focused on delivering a fun product for the whole family, so what better theme to build off than Asheboro’s big-
gest attraction? ZooKeepers was a no-brainer.” Asheboro is home to the North Carolina Zoo. The rebranding was overseen by Skye Design Studios. “The club had been reflecting on its identity for about a year or so, thinking about ways to reinvent their brand to maximize their connection to the local community,” Skye Design Studios founder Skye Dillon said in a statement. “The North Carolina Zoo is one of the state’s most notable attractions, and is located in Asheboro. The zoo’s family-oriented values and prominence in the local region made it the obvious starting point for the club’s new name.” The suite of logos features a zoo keeper, complete with traditional zoo keeper hat, swinging a baseball bat and accompanied by a rhino, giraffe, elephant, and snake. Dillon said there were a handful of considerations that went into selecting the animals included in the logo. “To be as authentic as possible, they had to be animals present at the North Carolina Zoo,” he said. “We also picked ones that likely
Asheboro music, jewelry store to close Business operated for more than six decades By Bob Sutton Randolph Record ASHEBORO – Monroe’s Music & Jewelry is closing later this month after more than six decades in business in Asheboro. Business owner Tony Hoover said he wants an opportunity to experience different things. “I feel like it’s time,” Hoover said. “It has been my life. When you’re on your dying bed, you don’t ask God for more money, you ask for more time.” The store on Sunset Avenue will close Jan. 29. Hoover owns the building, but he said he’s not sure what’s next for the site. At one time, there were five employees. Now, it’s just Hoover, 63. The business was opened by G.L. Harris 63 years ago. It was sold to Monroe Herring, who later changed the name in the 1960s to reflect the new ownership. Hoover began working at the store in 1986. A year later, he
bought the business. “I’ve spent all these years (in this job),” he said. “I’ve been blessed to be here that long.” Hoover said he was going to continue the business with online sales, but he has since decided otherwise. Still, he might use that procedure to reduce inventory once the store closes. He operated with reduced hours for 14 months during the pandemic. He said sales dipped 10 percent. Hoover will continue to handle other jobs that were in many ways connected to Monroe’s Music & Jewelry. He said he’ll maintain his role of doing church installs for music systems. He’ll also work with live sound for area bands, something that he has enjoyed for years. “Fortunately, I’m still going to be in the music field,” he said. The store’s combination of music and jewelry sales makes it unique. With so much of Hoover’s background in music, that often might have seemed like a priority. However, he said the jewelry repair aspect of the business often thrived.
“I’ve spent all these years (in this job),” he said. “I’ve been blessed to be here that long.” Tony Hoover
would not ever be the centerpiece of another club identity in the league, staying away from animals such as tigers, lions, and bears.” The team also announced that it is planning cross-promotions with the North Carolina Zoo. “We would love to see families plan outings where they visit both the zoo and the ballpark throughout the season,” ZooKeepers general manager and coach Jeremy Knight said. “As far as the baseball, we will always be committed to fielding some of the best rising talent in the sport and giving our players a stage to hone their skills. Aligning with the zoo concept will enhance the experience for anyone at the ballpark – fans or players – and should be a win-win for our community.” The team plays its games at McCrary Park, which is receiving a massive renovation ahead of the 2022 season. More announcements are coming from the team. Two additional spin-offs of the ZooKeepers brand will be forthcoming. The team didn’t unveil away game uniforms at the announcement for the new name.
Randolph Record for Wednesday, July 21, 2021
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Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 12, 2022 Randolph Record for Wednesday, July 7, 2021
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“Join the “Join the “Join the conversation” conversation”
conversation” Stanly County Journal ISSN: 2575-2278 North NorthState State Journal Journal (USPS 20451) (USPS 20451) Publisher (ISSN 2471-1365) (ISSN 2471-1365) Neal Robbins
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Jan. 18
RANDOLPH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Ramseur Town Council Meeting
RCC pushes more MEETfor THE STAFFstudents as numbers lag 6:30pm
Ramseur Municipal PJ Ward-Brown sion, there’s enrollment of 915. before those classes start. Building, 724 Liberty Williams said there’s an ef- That’s off slightly from the usual Ramseur. Mattfort to bolster enrollment. He cit- number that ranges up to 1,000,Street, “There has never been a Williams said. ed the RCC Commitment Grant, ASHEBORO Enrollment East End and Ulah— Firedepartments line up in front of Asheboro Fire Department who was Lauren better opportunity to attend bringing home their BattalionColChief Chris Hoover, who passed away from Covid-19 in Chapel Hill Traditional enrollment numa program designed as a funding at Randolph Community in Asheboro, on Sunday Jan.9, 2022. lege isn’t likely to bounce back to mechanism to fill the gap that’s bers have flattened, but it’s the RCC and not have to worry Frank Jan. pre-pandemic levels right away not covered by federal or state aid number of high school students about22 how to pay for it.” Cory in programs designed for dual endespite a school official pointing to students. The Isaacs in Concert gency rollment Servicesthat inhasescorting dropped, “There has never been a betout unprecedented financial inAsheboro fireman dies RCC president Dr. Robert Hoover home. Along the route to “We’re just not seeing the level ter opportunity to attend RCC centives for potential students. 7pm Who is “Editor?” Asheboro, firefighters across the Chad Williams, vice president and not have to worry about how of engagement that we had seen,” Shackleford Jr. By Bob Sutton Randolph Record
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DEATH NOTICES
♦ Christopher Enos Burris, WEEKLY FORECAST
40, of Oakboro,X DEATH NOTICES SPONSORED BY
♦ Georgia Bernice Siler, 89, of Siler City, died July 15, 2021, at her home. ♦ Harold Eugene “Gene” Anderson, 82, died at his home on Monday, July 12, 2021 in a tragic house fire. CALL OR TEXT 336-629-7588 ♦ Addie Mae Hunt McLeod, age 79, died July 11, 2021, at Autumn Care in Biscoe.
WEDNESDAY JAN 12
♦ Jonathan Edward Ferree, 50, of Black Mountain, formerly of Asheboro, died July 11, 2021.
HI 47
♦ Mildred Mae Cozart Poole, LOW 29 age 85, of Asheboro, died July PRECIP 1% See OBITS, page 7 9, 2021.
THURSDAY JAN 13 See OBITS, page 7
after long bout with COVID
state showed upsaid. to shows their Williams for student services at RCC, said a to pay for it,” RCC president Dr. The Liberty Showcase respects RCC to Hoover his fam- break held and a one-week decline in high school students in Robert Shackleford Jr. said. “We Theater presents the ily. earlier this month amid the sumdual enrollment has been the big- meet students exactly where they Westside Fire & Rescue multi-award winning are and help them go as far as they mer semester, which began May gest reason for a dip. family,” said a statement from staffed an engine at the AsheRandolph Record staff family group based out 24 and concludes July 26. Late “Overall, we’re still seeing a de- can possibly go.” boro Fire Station No. 1 throughthe fire department. of Hendersonville, TN. registration for the fall semester Beginning with the fall semescline in enrollment comparing to Following his passing, Hoover out the day on Sunday to allow ASHEBORO — A 24-year runs through Aug. 10, with classter, qualifying full-time students previous years prior to the panThe vocalists are mother, veteran of the Asheboro Fire was carried home to Randolph Hoover’s station mates to take es beginning Aug. 16. will be eligible for up to $1,000 demic,” Williams said. “I don’t Lily Isaacs and siblings Department died Saturday after County in a procession of emer- part in the processional. with adjustments perand semester. know if we’ll to numbers we’vegency HooverStill wasdealing born in Randolph rescue vehicles from suffering fromgetCOVID-19 and Ben Isaacs, Sonya Isaacs made because of 4, the1974, coronavirus attending seen in previous fall semesters. County on December Hill. makes Local fire depart- RCC associated lung damage. Battal- …ChapelThat Yeary and Rebecca pandemic, not Dallas all 2021and fall semesthe — most enticingAsh-Rand from a finanWe’re reaching out to 47, every the son of the late including ion Chief Chris Hoover, hadstu-ments Isaacs Bowman. The classesHe will be in person. Some cial Squad, standpoint in Fire the De16 years dentat weUNC can in every way we can.”Rescue Emily ter Hoover. was a gradStaley been Hospital in Chapwill use a hybrid model with a WilliamsFranklinville has been at the A fall semester at the Isaacs have a unique uate of Southwestern Randolph Fireschool, el Hill since November 24, two-year 2021. partment, he said. HeUlah previously workedHigh in mixture school in Asheboro oftenDepartment, School. of Heface-to-faces is survived sessions Volunteer “It is with profoundwould sadness style that blends tight virtual sessions. Many classfinancialand aid Tabernaoffice. havewe 2,600 to 3,000 by hisand wife, Jennifer Hoover; Department, that announce thestudents passing en-FireRCC’s family harmony with “There’s Fire neverDepartment a better timedaughters, to es provide Karli students Hoover with and options At the beginning of thiscle Volunteer ofrolled. Battalion Chief Chris Hoover contemporary acoustic Kara Hoover. joined HillhePolice, after hard-fought with on how to attend and participate, back Chapel to college,” said. week,a that number battle stood at about— go instrumentation that Hoover’ssaid. complete obitCarrboro COVID-19. Williams For the currentFire-Ressummer ses-Chris 1,900 with Our aboutthoughts a monthand to goUNC Police, prayers are CRIME with the LOG Hoover cue and Orange County Emer- uary is published on page 7. appeals to a variety of WEEKLY
audiences. Tickets start at $25.
♦ Williams, Denishia Lorren (B /F/30) Arrest on chrg of WEEKLY CRIME 1) Pwimsd Marijuana (F), 2) LOG Maintain Veh/dwell/place Cs (f) (F), 3) Possess X
♦ Boggs, Matthew Harrison (M, 39), Arrest on charge of Misdemeanor Larceny, at 2587 Wayne White Rd, Pleasant Garden, on 07/14/2021. ♦ Bolton McKee, James Henry (M, 47), Arrest on charge of Possession of Stolen Goods, at 6469 Clyde King Rd, Seagrove, on 07/15/2021. ♦ Pugh, Robert Daniel (M, 39), Arrest on charge of Simple Assault (M), at 139 Drum St, Asheboro, on 07/14/2021. ♦ Richardson, Erwin Quint Jr (M, 31), Arrest on charges of Felony Larceny and Possession of Stolen Goods, at 5471 Needhams Trail, Seagrove, on 07/14/2021. ♦ Seibert, Sarah Elizabeth (F, 32),
Arrest on charge of Resisting Public Officer, 321 Kings Ridge Rd, Randleman, on 07/14/2021. ♦ Hazelwood, Elizabeth (F, 44), Arrest on chage of Misdemeanor Larceny, at Hoover Hill Rd/Slick Rodk Mtn, on 07/14/2021. ♦ Lynch, Detrick Lamont (M, 40), Arrest on charge of Misdemeanor Possession of Schedule VI CS, Possessiong of Stolen Motor Vehicle, at I-85 Exit 111, on 07/13/2021. ♦ McQueen, James Allen Jr (M, 35), Arrest on charge of Possession of Marijuana up to 1/2 oz., Possession of drug paraphernalia, Failure to appeal on felony, failure to appear on misdemeanor, at
♦ Whitehead, Jan. 24 George Alan (M, 52), Arrest on charge of Misdemeanor
176 E. Salisbury St, Asheboro, on 07/13/2021.
Liberty Town Council Possession of Schedule IV CS, ♦ Millikan, Bobby Wayne (M, 33), Meeting Possession of Stolen motor Arrest on charge of Assault on a vehicle, imporoper use of a dealer Female, at 8300 Curtis Power Rd, 5:30pm tag, failure to deliver title, failure to Bennett, NC, on 07/14/2021. appear on felony, at I-85 Exit 111, Liberty Town Hall
♦ Passmore, Casey Lynn, Arrest on charge of possession of marijuana up to 1/2 oz., at Randolph Courthouse, on 7/13/2021.
on 07/13/2021.
♦ Cheek, Helenia Spinks (F, 64), Arrest on charge of Assault by pointing a gun, Discharging a firearm to cause fear, Reckless ♦ Roark, Justin Steven (M, 30), driving to endanger, Seagrove, on Arrest on charge of Possession 07/12/2021. of Meth, Possession with intent “Driving Miss Daisy” to manufacture, sell or distribute ♦ Helms, Chad Lee (M, 37), Arrest & 7:30pm heroin, Simple possession of 2:30pm on charge of Felony Sexual Schedule II, III, IV CS, MaintainingRhinoLeap Exploitation of a minor in the presented Place, Possession of Drug second degree (10 counts), 727 “Driving Miss Daisy” Paraphernalia, at 1029 High Point McDowell Rd, Asheboro, NC, on the story of Daisy, a Rd, on 7/13/2021. 07/12/2021.
HI 55 LOW 33 PRECIP 4%
Jan. 28 — Feb. 13
widowed, 72-year-old Jewish woman living in Atlanta, who is deemed too old to drive. Her son hires Hoke, an African American man, to be her chauffeur. What begins as a troubled and hostile pairing, soon blossoms cheering over into ple a profound, life-him, or booing over friendship. him or going into different altering directions over him,” have benefitWeekend matinees at ed, Levesque said. “But that’s the 2:30pm. All beauty of shows what weat do, to go be enAsheboro’s tertained,historic however you want to be entertained. Sunset Theater. As a performer,
WWE leaves virtual reality behind in 1st tour since 2020 FRIDAY JAN 14
By Dan Gelston The Associated Press
HI 55 LOW 32 PHILADELPHIA — Triple H walked with his arms crossed PRECIP 7% like
an X — his signature Degeneration X symbol — with his 7-foot tag-team partner, Joel Embiid, to 15 month ringSATURDAY a ceremonial JAN bell last before a Philadelphia 76ers playoff game. His theme music blared HI 54 through the arena, and near35 from the ly 19,000 fansLOW hanging 24% rafters roaredPRECIP when the wrestler hoisted his bad-guy weapon-ofchoice sledgehammer and struck the bell. SUNDAY JAN 16 Sure, the setting wasn’t WrestleMania — though Triple H lost a match in the same building when HI 49 the event was held there in 1999 — but for the superstar-turned-exLOW 28 ecutive, the frenzied atmosphere PRECIP 31% was a reminder of what WWE lost during the 16 months it ran without live events and raucous MONDAY JAN 17 crowds. “It was a fun opportunity to get back into an arena packed full of fans and have them HI 49go nuts,” said Triple H, known these days as LOW 30Levesque. WWE executive Paul PRECIP 24% “That adrenaline rush, there’s nothing like it.” WWE hasn’t been the same without its “Yes!” chants or “This TUESDAY JAN 18 is Awe-some!” singsongs once the pandemic relegated the company to running empty arena matchHI with 47 a piped-in es every week soundtrack and virtual LOW 30fans. No more. PRECIP 21% With most American sports leagues settled in to their old routines, WWE ditched its stopgap home in Florida and resumed touring last Friday night with “Smackdown” from Houston, a
DEATH NOTICES ♦ Penny Annette Miller, 54, died Tuesday, January 4th, 2022.
♦ George Washington Davidson, age 60, of Ramseur, died on January 6, 2022 at the High Point Regional Hospital.
♦ Tony Lee Letson, age 67, of High Point died Sunday, January 9, 2022, at Randolph Hospice House, Asheboro.
sometimes that’s difficult.” WWE’s July 5 “RAW” on USA Network hit 1.472 million viewers, WEEKLY CRIME LOG the lowest in the 28-plus year history of the show. Levesque, WWE EVP of glob♦ Brower, Donovan Cequan of Possession of Drug Vehicle, Flee to Elude Arrest (M, 30), Arrested on charge Paraphernalia, Assault with MV, DWLR, Reckless al talent strategy and developof Possession of Stolen on Government Official, Driving to Endager, Resisting ment, said the company would Motor Vehicle, at 1132 Possession of Marijuana, Public Officer, Failure to “take a hard look” at how it can Oakland Ave, on 1/5/22. at 2745 Eagle Nest Ct, on Appear on Felony, Failure to attract more fans to the product 1/3/22. Appear on Misdemeanor, each week. WWE can only hope ♦ Kennedy, Tylar Scott (M, 18), Failure to Comply, at 1604 the combination of live crowds Arrested on charge of First ♦ Barfield, Stephen Wesley Greendale Rd Ext, on 1/1/22. and the return of box office attracDegree Burglary, Second (M, 53), Arrested on tions such as Becky Lynch, GoldDegree Trespass, Breaking charge of Injury to Personal ♦ McDuffie, Michael Aaron berg, and Cena can ignite interest or Entering, at 3069 Wow Property (5 counts), Injury (M, 28), Arrested on charge and grow ratings during the build Rd, on 1/5/22. to Real Property (2 counts), of Possession of Schedule Do you have a birthday, wedding, to the marquee Aug. 21 SummerBreaking and or Entering, II CS, Possession of Drug engagement or other milestone to Slam at the home of the Las Ve♦ Parrish, Debbie Lula (F, Burning Unoccupied Paraphernalia, Possession celebrate? Contact us at 41), Arrested on charge of gas Raiders. Building, Attempted Break of Marijuana, Breaking and celebrations@randolphrecord.com. Conspire to Commit Felony “It never is one thing,” Levesque or Enter Building (2 counts), or Entering, Contributing Larceny, at 857 Hub Morris said. “We see this as a moment in at 10583 Randleman Rd, on to Deliquency of Juvenile, Rd, on 1/5/22. time to shift everything. I think 12/30/21. Larceny after Breaking/ you’ll see it in just the layout of evEntering, at King View Rd ♦ Gaviria, William (M, 27), ♦ Bolton McKee, James erything, the set designs, the way and Teresa Way, on 1/2/22. PHOTO BY WILLY SANJUAN/INVISION/AP Arrested on charge of Henry (M, 47), Arrested it’s presented. There’s a greater Larceny of Motor Vehicle on“Triple chargeH” of Possession of ♦ Miller, Connie Nicole (F, Night emphasis on utilizing the spacIn this Jan. 9, 2018, file photo, Paul Levesque participates in the “WWE Monday Parts (3 counts) at RCJ, on Heroin, Carrying Concealed 25), Arrested on charge of Press es that we have and the TV aspect Raw: 25th Anniversary” panel during the NBCUniversal Television Critics Association Winter 1/4/22. Weapon, Possession of Resisting Public Officer, of it while still engaging the fans. Tour in Pasadena, Calif. Drug Paraphernalia, Assault Probation Violation (2 A lot of that comes from the time ♦ Briggs, Terry Wayne Jr (M, on Government Official (2 counts), Larceny of Motor we had to experiment inside the 42), Arrested on charge counts), Resisting Public Vehicle, Failure to Appear on of Assault onSunday Government ThunderDome.” WWE then moved to its in-house former,” Reigns said. “As a live pay-per-view in Texas and Officer (2 counts), Failure Felony (3 counts), at 1604 Official, The first start is putting fans performance center in Florida on that simultaneous reDallas onPossession Monday forof the flagship toperformer, Appear on Misdemeanor, Greendale Rd Ext, on 1/1/22. Marijuana, Possession of WWE sponse keeps you sharp. We had March 13, before setting up what — holding their homemade signs “Raw” TV show on USA. at 1561 Cedar Grove Rd, on Drug Paraphernalia, at 2745 it dubbed ThunderDome -- and wearing their catchphrase to adjust and adapt to the times spruced up sets, brought back old 1/1/22. ♦ Wolford, ShaneThe Bradley (M, Eagleand Nest onreset 1/3/22. fans stars hitCt, the button on that were in front of us.” 49),where Arrested on registered charge of for spots T-shirts — back in the seats. “When we have that live crowd, Richard (M,house,Assault on adigital Female, at 615 on LED videoboards — for WithMichael Hulk Hogan in the TV programming humbled with♦ English, ♦ Wishon, Ashley Nicole (F, 24), Arrested on charge ofWrestle-Mount Shepherd Rd Lotat22, stretches in Florida the Amway sometimes they almost become WWE held their only record-low ratings and a strong 36), Arrested on charge Possessoin of Stolen Motor Center, Tropicana Field and the the cameras for a lot of the perMania with fans this past Aprilon 1/1/22. need for new stars. formers,” Reigns said. “But when “I do think if we were doing this 10 and 11 at Raymond James Sta- Yuengling Center. “People like Roman have been you don’t have that real-time, flesh in front of the live crowd, it would dium. WWE last ran a weeknight have been a situation that would televised event with a paid crowd able to emotionally bring a per- interaction, the red light becomes have made me an even better per- on March 9, 2020, in Washington. formance that, maybe with peo- the focal point for the performer.”
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Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
OPINION Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor VISUAL VOICES
COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON
A New Year’s resolution
While the start of this year may feel a lot like the last, I am still optimistic for the future of our nation.
ONE YEAR AGO, our nation was deeply divided by politics and impacted by the surging COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, as we begin 2022, many of the same dynamics remain. Throughout the last year, I have stayed focused on delivering results and on the issues that matter most to you. While President Joe Biden promised to unite the country and do the same, I have been disappointed by the radical partisanship from many Washington Democrats, as well as failures to address challenges before us. President Biden spent the past two years promising he would “shut down the virus.” However today, we have more cases of COVID-19 than ever before. Tragically, more people died from COVID-19 in 2021 than in 2020. Biden promised he would provide enough testing for all Americans. Long lines at testing sites in recent weeks are evidence the Biden administration was ill prepared for this variant surge. In fact, it was just revealed the administration rejected an October proposal for hundreds of millions of free rapid tests. Now that the administration has ordered additional tests, I am working to make sure this issue is solved for our community and country. Yet other issues remain. President Biden previously criticized President Trump’s travel ban on China, calling it “xenophobic.” Yet last month, he banned travel from several countries in Africa. He criticized Trump for deferring to governors who know best how to treat their states, but now says, “there is no federal solution.” Biden criticized the Trump administration for trying to keep schools open, but now we see the damaging effects school closures have had on our children. While home over the holidays, I heard from many of you about the lasting impact overreaching COVID policies have
had on your kids, families and businesses. Thankfully, we have advanced therapeutics and vaccines to minimize deaths, and I encourage you to consult your doctor for advice. We must put the health and well-being of our children first, so we can put this pandemic behind us. As the Republican leader in the House on pandemic preparedness issues, I have sponsored numerous bipartisan bills to improve our supply chains, hold China accountable and support our health care workers. Unfortunately, Washington Democrats spent much of last year pushing sweeping vaccine mandates, yet ignoring any other ways to end the pandemic. Instead, Democrats in Congress recklessly passed trillions in new government spending that spurred inflation to a 40-year high. This resulted in high gas prices, groceries and utility bills. Crime has hit record levels in many of our cities due to liberal pushes to disrespect and defund the police. Our border has been overrun, leading to record illegal crossings and drugs like fentanyl. I have been fighting to stop these bad policies and to deliver real results for you. While the start of this year may feel a lot like the last, I am still optimistic for the future of our nation. As Leader Kevin McCarthy said, this year will define what our country will be for the next decade. Will we be a country defined by freedom, opportunity, and prosperity? Or will we continue to let America fall victim to division, malaise and pessimism? By working together this year, I believe we can secure a brighter future for our community, state and country defined by freedom, opportunity and prosperity for every American. Let’s focus on what matters and rise to the challenges before us. That’s my New Year’s resolution to you.
COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO
The Democrats’ exploitation of Jan 6 gives away their game “Every Day Is January 6 now. The Capitol riot continues in statehouses across the country, in a bloodless, legalized form that no police officer can arrest and that no prosecutor can try in court.” The New York Times editorialized
THIS YEAR, Jan. 6 was commemorated with all the ballyhoo and rigamarole Democrats and their media allies could muster. CNN did an entire special around the anniversary, titled “Live from the Capitol: January 6th, One Year Later”; the show featured the “heroes who protected our democracy in the face of an insurrection,” and included interviews with such luminaries as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and January 6 Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris commemorated Jan. 6 with special remarks, and Pelosi organized a bevy of events in memory of the riot. Now, you might ask yourself just why Jan. 6 merits such outsized attention. One need not downplay the events — the horrifying image of rioters bashing police officers with metal poles, storming through the halls of Congress shouting for Mike Pence — in order to recognize Jan. 6 for what it was: an ugly but not pivotal moment in American history. The event resulted in one direct death — rioter Ashli Babbitt was shot by a Capitol police officer — and some $1.5 million in property damage to the Capitol building; the Capitol was cleared within hours of the riot, and Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promptly presided over the certification of the 2020 election. Those who broke into the Capitol or even trespassed have ended up in jail. Meanwhile, by contrast, the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020 resulted in some $2 billion in insured property damage (and likely billions more in uninsured property damage), two dozen people died, and the resultant political movement against the police led to an unprecedented nationwide spike in homicides in major cities. To date, there have been no commemorations from CNN, speeches from Biden or Harris, or a day honoring the police officers who held rioters in check. So, what lies behind the Democratic-media obsession with Jan. 6? Political opportunism. Democrats aren’t even hiding the ball. Facing the ever-likelier prospect of a 2022 midterm wipeout, Democrats have hit on a strategy: they have to rig the electoral rules and overthrow traditional democratic
institutions in order to stop Republicans from rigging the electoral rules and overthrowing traditional democratic institutions. Jan. 6, to opportunistic Democrats, is the all-purpose excuse to use the entire weight of their party to push for a radical revision of Senate rules and federal elections. As Politico reported this week, “Democrats are hoping that Thursday will be more than just a day of remembrance. In the Senate, we hear from well-positioned sources, there’s a desire to take the opportunity to supercharge the party’s long-stalled voting rights legislation — possibly even using the anniversary to try to get Sens. Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Joe Manchin, D-W. Va, to go nuclear on the filibuster or embrace rules changes.” Yes, the electoral village must be burned in order to stop future events similar to Jan. 6. As The New York Times editorialized, “Every Day Is January 6 Now,” arguing, “the Capitol riot continues in statehouses across the country, in a bloodless, legalized form that no police officer can arrest and that no prosecutor can try in court.” The only plausible response is to federalize election procedures constitutionally given to the states, to mandate the corrupt practice of ballot harvesting, to mandate long periods of early voting and universal absentee ballots, to loosen voter verification, and much more. All because of Jan. 6. Or, perhaps, because Democrats can read the writing on the wall. They know that November 2022 cometh, and that right soon. And they hope that if they invoke the specter of Jan. 6 repeatedly, Americans will shrug and allow them to usurp authority, violate rules, and rewrite voting procedure. It won’t work. But it should reveal to Americans just who Democrats are and how little they actually care about Jan. 6 in the first place. Ben Shapiro, 37, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com.
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SPORTS SIDELINE REPORT COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Wake Forest RB BealSmith transferring to South Carolina Columbia, S.C. Wake Forest running back Christian Beal-Smith, the Demon Deacons’ leading rusher the past two years, is transferring to South Carolina. Beal-Smith, who entered the transfer portal earlier this month, announced his choice on social media Monday night. Ex-Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler and tight end Austin Stogner joined the program last month. Beal-Smith, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound tailback from Winston-Salem, led Wake Forest with 732 yards in 2020. He gained 604 yards this past season as the Demon Deacons won the ACC Atlantic Division.
TENNIS
Bob Falkenburg, tennis star who gave Brazil fast food, dies Santa Ynez, Calif. Robert “Bob” Falkenburg, who saved three championship points en route to winning the 1948 Wimbledon men’s singles final at age 22 and brought fast food to Brazil during his post-tennis entrepreneurial career, has died. He was 95. Falkenburg passed away Thursday from natural causes at his home in Santa Ynez, California.Falkenburg entered his last Grand Slam tournament in 1955 after moving to Brazil with his wife, Lourdes “Lou” Mayrink Veiga Machado, and founded a series of fastfood and ice cream shops called Bob’s. He later sold the franchise. Eventually, more than 1,000 Bob’s opened in Brazil.
GYMNASTICS
3-time Olympic champion Uchimura retiring Tokyo Three-time Olympic gold medal gymnast Kohei Uchimura of Japan — the man they call “King Kohei”— is retiring, his management company said Tuesday. The 33-yearold won gold in 2012 and 2016 as the best all-around men’s gymnast, and also won a team gold in 2016. He also won four Olympic silver medals, and won gold 10 times at world championships. The 2020 Olympics, delayed a year by the pandemic, were a disappointment at home in Tokyo. Uchimura fell in qualifying in his signature high-bar event and failed to advance to the finals.
NHL
Stars coach Bowness fined for slamming stick into boards New York Dallas Stars coach Rick Bowness was fined $25,000 on Monday for twice slamming a stick against the boards behind the bench seconds after his team’s 2-1 loss at St. Louis a day earlier. The Blues scored two power-play goals in the final minute, the 11th time in NHL history that a team won in regulation after trailing by one with a minute left. The league announced the fine and said the money goes to the NHL Foundation. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour was fined the same amount earlier this season for yelling at officials.
JOHN RAOUX | AP PHOTO
Aric Almirola announced he will retire following the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season to spend more time with his young family.
NASCAR veteran Almirola to retire at end of 2022 season The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has three career Cup season wins By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola will retire from competition at the end of the 2022 season to spend more time with his young family. Almirola revealed his plans Monday to the employees at Stewart-Haas Racing at the same time Smithfield Foods announced its 11th season sponsoring the driver. “To be the best in this business you’ve got to be selfish, and for the last 37 years my life has always revolved around me and what I needed to do,” Almirola said. “I want to be present. I want to be the best husband and father, and that to me
means more than being a race car driver. “So it’s one more year where I’m all-in on racing, where we’ll do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level. But when the season is over, I’ll be ready to wave goodbye. I’ve loved every minute of it, but it’s time for the next chapter of my life.” Almirola, a Tampa native of Cuban descent, made his NASCAR national series debut in 2005 in the Truck Series. His first victory was recorded two years later in the Xfinity Series at Milwaukee, but it was a controversial race: Denny Hamlin, his teammate then at Joe Gibbs Racing, was supposed to race the car with Almirola just a fill-in until Hamlin arrived from Cup Series practice held in Sonoma, California. Almirola qualified the car, led 43 laps and was in third when Hamlin arrived and replaced Almirola
in the seat. Hamlin crossed the finish line in first but an angry Almirola was scored the winner because he was the driver who started the race. Almirola made his Cup debut with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2007 but moved to Dale Earnhardt Inc. later that season. He became a full-time Cup driver with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2012 — the same year he partnered with Smithfield — and scored his first Cup victory two seasons later in the rain-shortened July race at Daytona. Almirola and Smithfield moved to SHR in 2018, and Almirola has made the playoffs in all four seasons driving the No. 10. He has three career Cup wins and finished a career-best fifth in the 2018 standings. “In addition to being an incredibly talented racer and devoted family man, Aric embodies Smithfield’s values and has embraced our com-
mitment to do good for our customers, employees and communities,” said Shane Smith, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods. The pandemic has cut NASCAR’s schedule to mostly one-day events the past two years — down from full three-day weekends for decades — and allowed drivers to live a more traditional life and attend extracurricular events with their families. Almirola, who turns 38 in March, has a son and daughter. Almirola said he made the decision to retire with his wife, pondering if he could afford to retire young and that he’d regret not stepping away to spend time with his children before they are grown. “The answer I kept coming up with is that I can’t afford not to,” he said. “We’re going to have a 10-yearold in Alex and a 9-year-old in Abby, and I’m going to have a short window with them while they still think Dad is cool. I want to be there for them and to be a part of the things they’re interested in. “Before we know it, they’re going to have car keys and they’re going to be running off with their friends, doing the same things I did when I was 16 or 17.”
‘Black Monday’ strikes for NFL coaches The Dolphins, Broncos, Bears and Vikings all made changes on the sideline following their season finales The Associated Press FROM THE NFC North to the AFC East, the firings began almost immediately after the NFL’s first 17-game season concluded. The Vikings fired coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on Monday following an 8-9 season. Division rival Chicago parted with coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace after going 6-11. And in a relative surprise, Miami dismissed coach Brian Flores, whose Dolphins went 9-8, including a sweep of archrival New England. Indeed, the career coaching records for each total 130-112-1. Yet, while in South Florida the Dolphins seemed to be overachievers with a modest roster, both the Vikings and Bears were major disappointments this season. One major problem for Minnesota and Chicago resides in neighboring Wisconsin: the Packers. While Green Bay is an
NFL power and perennial championship contender, the Vikings and Bears have been more teasing than triumphant. “We are determined to have sustained success and bring Vikings fans the Super Bowl championships they expect and deserve,” owners Zygi and Mark Wilf said in their statement after letting go of Zimmer and Spielman. Zimmer was 7-8-1 against the Packers, which isn’t bad considering how Green Bay has performed in recent years. It was simply not close to good enough in that division. The Bears under Nagy were 1-7 against the Pack in the longest-running rivalry in pro football. Nagy, the 2018 Coach of the Year, simply was following the path of his predecessors: Chicago’s past six head coaches have had a losing record against Green Bay. There also has been no evident progress at quarterback in Chicago, and the defense has taken a step backward. The 2018 Khalil Mack trade, Pace’s biggest move with the Bears, began well and now looks unproductive. Flores, however, didn’t appear to be in danger of losing his job. One of three black head coaches in the NFL, Flores brought Mi-
BRUCE KLUCKHOHN | AP PHOTO
The Chicago and Minnesota both fired their coaches and general managers Monday, with the Bears dismissing coach Matt Nagy, left, and the Vikings letting Mike Zimmer, right.
6 NFL teams that fired their coaches during or after the 2021 season through Monday.
ami back from an awful first half of the schedule, turning around from 1-7 to 9-8 — including victories in the opener and finale against his former boss in New England. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross,
who kept GM Chris Grier, hinted at communication issues. “I think an organization can only function if it’s collaborative and it works well together, and I don’t think we were really working well as an organization ... to win consistently at the NFL level,” Ross said. Denver fired Vic Fangio on Sunday, while the Las Vegas and Jacksonville positions became open during the season. The Raiders’ Jon Gruden resigned amid a release of embarrassing emails, and Urban Meyer was fired by the Jaguars following a series of missteps on and off the field.
Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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BEST OVERALL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
PREP BASKETBALL
Brecken Snotherly
PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Eastern Randolph’s Brecken Snotherly brings the ball up court against Randleman during a PAC basketball matchup at Randleman.
Eastern Randolph, girls’ basketball
PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Ashara Spruill lays the ball up against Randleman’s Hannah Hinshaw last week.
Snotherly scored 49 points as the Wildcats split two games last week. She accounted for nearly two-thirds of the team’s scoring in those games. She scored 24 points in a 42-35 loss at Southwestern Randolph. The junior was back with 25 points three nights later when the Wildcats topped visiting Uwharrie Charter Academy 40-34, snapping a three-game homecourt losing streak. Snotherly connected on three 3-point shots in that game.
PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Randleman’s Hannah Hinshaw shoots the ball against Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Ashara Spruill in a Piedmont Athletic Conference game in Asheboro.
PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Left, Randleman coach Brandon Varner watches the play in the second half against Uwharrie Charter Academy. Right, UCA coach Austin Davis walks along the sideline watching his team on defense against Randleman.
Eastern Randolph’s Brecken Snotherly shoots against Randleman’s Elizabeth York during a game this season.
PREP WRESTLING
Area wrestlers excel in duals, individual events Randolph Record staff
PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Randleman’s Audra Petty and Jordan Booker go up against UCA’s Paige Ingram for the rebound. Randleman won 50-30 in the girls’ game.
AREA HIGH SCHOOL wrestling teams turned in numerous notable performances last week. Take your pick. • There was Uwharrie Charter Academy, which went 8-0 across two days to win the Pin Down Autism Super Duals. • At the Southwestern Randolph Cougar Duals, the champion was Asheboro with a 5-0 record. Seven of Asheboro’s wrestlers were charted with 5-0 records. They were Xavier Santos (113 pounds), Diego Gutierrez (126), Yu Chen (138), Luke Lambeth (170), Logan Lambeth (182), Ed-
die Soto (220) and Arhman Tyson (285). • Trinity wrestlers had strong performances in the Johnson-Stamey Mill Town Invitational. Individual titles were picked up by Spencer May at 113 and David Makupson at 138. Runners-up were Brayden Hall at 106, Chris Grubb at 120, KJ Stafford at 126, Casey Hohn at 152, Johnny Bryant at 160 and Joey Smith at 220. • In the High Point Central Invitational, Wheatmore’s Randy Spencer was the champion at 195. Third-place spots were earned by Trey Swaney at 120, Cameron Hinson at 126 and Levi Spencer at 132.
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Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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Asheboro blacksmith wins competition on reality show By Bob Sutton Randolph Record ASHEBORO – Chris Moss kept his secret since last spring. When the answer was revealed, it was rewarding for the Asheboro man. Moss was the winner of an episode of “Forged in Fire,” which aired Wednesday night on the History Channel. “I’ve been sitting on it for nine months,” Moss said. “I kind of wish I could have told people. It was a great thing.” In the final challenge for the show, Moss made a two-handed battle sword that was a replica from Southeast Asia. “I had four days to make it,” Moss said of the sword, which was 4 inches at his widest part and 30 inches long. Four bladesmiths competed in a three-round elimination contest to forge bladed weapons, with the overall winner receiving $10,000 and the show’s championship title “Forged in Fire Champion.” The first two rounds were held in Connecticut. The top two entrants as determined by judg-
es were given a final challenge, though they returned to their respective homes to produce that. Then they traveled back to Connecticut for the judging. The sword made by Moss passed the test based on strength and other factors. It was defect-free. “For most of it, I was competing against myself,” Moss said of the motivation to excel in the competition. Moss was joined by about 30 family and friends for a watch party of the History Channel episode. “It was a lot more enjoyable (because I won),” he said. There’s no additional round to advance to as part of “Forged in Fire,” though Moss will cherish the bragging rights that accompany his victory. He was part of the 200th edition of the show. “Forged in Fire” debuted in 2015. Moss said he’d be interested in participating if there turns out to be a champions round or a reunion episode that brings back past winners. Moss, 34, is self-employed as a manufacturer consultant. His company is DauntlessMFG.com.
PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Chris Moss and his parents to his left celebrate the win during the viewing party of the 200th episode of Forged in Fire that he was a contestant in at Coach’s Neighborhood Grill in Asheboro, on Jan. 6, 2022.
SC governor proposes overhaul to school funding formula By Jeffrey Collins The Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s governor is proposing a simplification of the formula the state uses to pay its portion for public schools. The new formula Gov. Henry McMaster will put into his budget plan submitted to lawmakers later this month will increase flexibility and accountability and help out poorer districts, his education staff said. The proposal sends money based on student-teacher ratio and minimum teacher salaries instead of the confusing arrays of formulas currently used. McMaster’s budget adds $120 million to the $3.4 billion being sent to local school districts to assure that 72 of the 79 districts will get more state money next school year. The remaining seven districts should remain at the same level, the governor’s office said. The formula sends money to schools based on a ratio of 11.7 students to every teacher. It then pays districts $66,524 per teacher needed, which is the median pay for South Carolina teachers. It also increases funding for certain groups, like children in special-education programs. The biggest change is raising the amount of extra money given
JEFFREY COLLINS | AP PHOTO
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster looks at data about the COVID-19 spread in the Kershaw County School District during a discussion with school officials at Camden Elementary School on Wednesday Sept. 15, 2021, in Camden, S.C. to districts for students in poverty by two-and-a-half times per child, according to the governor’s plan. Districts can increase the student-to-teacher ratio and have wide latitude on how to spend the money, whether it be on administrators, special programs or better teacher salaries. What the governor wants in exchange is accountability, and his budget proposal would require audits by state-approved auditors, budgets published on school districts websites and searchable
expenditures with a goal to try to figure out why some districts are better preparing students for college or getting students proficient in reading quicker. The governor’s staff said they want to be flexible with the new formula and work with lawmakers when they return Tuesday for the 2022 session. McMaster joined with House Speaker Jay Lucas and then-Senate President Harvey Peeler in a 2019 request for ways to revamp the education spending formula sent to the South Carolina Rev-
enue and Fiscal Affairs Office, which forecasts how much money the state will collect and predicts how much proposed programs will cost. The agency’s report came out six months before the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor’s plan is a scaled-down version. One thing the new plan doesn’t address is a 2006 law that limited how much local governments could raise property taxes and how quickly those taxes could rise when property values increased. Schools are dependent on property taxes and those caps squeeze their ability to raise money, especially in poorer, smaller districts where there aren’t as many businesses to shoulder the tax load. The governor’s office said his plan is a first step he hopes will eventually get to a total overhaul of school funding. There is a lot of extra money flying around. The state expects to collect $1 billion more in taxes in the fiscal year that starts this July than before. There is an additional $1 billion left over from previous years where the state was careful about its spending, worried the COVID-19 pandemic might wreck the economy. There also is more than $3 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money and penalties paid to
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Financial Advisor 211 Worth St Asheboro, NC 27203-5557 336-328-0416
edwardjones.com
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South Carolina because the U.S. government failed to meet deadlines to remove nuclear material from the Savannah River Site near AIken. Also at the top of McMaster’s list — as it has been since he took over as governor in 2017 — is an income- tax cut. The governor proposes cutting South Carolina’s top rate from 7% to 6% over five years as long as economic growth continues. It would cost $177 million next fiscal year and about $1 billion a year when fully implemented. The governor said South Carolina needs the income tax cut to stay competitive with neighboring North Carolina and Georgia, which would still have lower rates. The governor also has announced his wish to set aside $500 million to repair aging local water and sewer systems, including sweeteners like parks or new roads for cities with smaller systems that allow them to be absorbed by larger ones. McMaster’s budget also would spend $1.7 million to double the budget of the state Ethics Commission so that it could hire more investigators and give the state inspector general $1.5 million more to expand his jurisdiction to any group that receives state money, from school boards to cities to non-profits.
Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
7
obituaries
Margaret Jo Cox Ely 1941 - 2022
Margaret Jo Cox Ely, age 80, of Asheboro passed away on Friday, January 7, 2022 at Clapp’s Convalescent Nursing Home, Asheboro. Ms. Ely was born in Randleman on May 3, 1951 to James and Maude Treva Yow Cox. She retired from Arrow International. In addition to her parents, Margaret Jo was preceded in death by her brothers, James F. Cox, Richard Cox, Robert Cox, and Jerry Cox, and sisters, Alice Cox and Patsy Cagle . She is survived by her niece, Andrea Underwood (Jeff) of Asheboro; nephew, James Cox (Tracy) of Winston-Salem; sisterin-law, Debbie Tucker; and 6 other nieces and 2 other nephews.
Pamela Darnell Lynch
Denise Gayle Williams
1966 - 2022
1971 – 2022
Pamela Darnell Lynch, age 55, of Asheboro passed away on Thursday, January 6, 2022 at her home. Pamela was born in Randolph County on September 1, 1966 to Charles Fredrick and Darlene Deloris Church Lynch. She was employed with L&L Cleaners for 10 years. In addition to her parents, Pamela was preceded in death by her sister, Jeanne Marie Lynch. She loved traveling to the beach and the mountains, and gardening. Pamela loved her dogs and her grandkids. She is survived by her wife of 4 years (together for 28 years), Shelia Macon; daughter, Niki Lynch Noble of High Point; granddaughters, Raelene Marie Brown, Lakyn Elizabeth Noble, and Kyndal Grace Noble; sisters, Charlene Powell of Asheboro and Cindy Heaton (Johnny) of Asheboro; brother, Chuck Lynch (Jamie) of Asheboro; brother-inlaw, Jeffrey Sykes of Asheboro; sisters-in-law, Tina Sykes of Asheboro and Kim Church (Ronnie) of Asheboro; several nieces, nephews, and cousins; and her beloved dogs.
Denise Gayle Williams, age 50, passed away on Thursday, January 6, 2022, at her home. Denise was born in Montgomery County on January 22, 1971, to James Hampton Garner and Shirley Sanders . She was an administrative assistant with First Health Fleet Maintenance. She is survived by her husband Jerry Williams of the home; daughter Ashley Sheffield of Seagrove; father James Garner and stepmother Rita Garner of Highfalls; mother Shirley Sanders ; brothers Gary Garner of Seagrove and Justin Garner of Highfalls; sister Whittney Garner of Highfalls. Grandchildren Kadian and Mason.
Daniel Junior McNeill
Margaret Hooker Richardson
1933 - 2022
1923 - 2022
Daniel “Junior” McNeill passed January 3, 2022, at Hospice of Randolph. Junior was a life-long of native of Ramseur. He worked at Jockey International for 15 years as a knitter in the cotton mills. Junior enjoyed gardening loving on his dog Dottie. He was also an avid person in the outreach program and maintenance at Worthville Baptist. Junior was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Connie Garner McNeill, his wife Barbara Jean McNeill, and his stepson Kenneth Dove. Junior is survived by his present wife Marti Jessup, daughter Jan Needham (Don), of Shallotte, Mitzi Cox (Louis), of Ramseur, son Todd McNeill, of Burlington, stepson, Daniel Dove, of Alaska, and stepdaughter, Sue Burris (Jamie), of Albemarle. He also had 10 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and 1 great great grandchild.
Mary Margaret Hooker Richardson, age 98, passed away on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at Clapp’s Convalescent Nursing Home, Asheboro. Mrs. Richardson was born in Randolph County on September 18,1923 to Fletcher and Lilla Hooker. Margaret was a graduate of Asheboro High School and retired from Nantucket Hosiery Mill in Asheboro. Margaret was dedicated to South Plainfield Friends Meeting where she taught Sunday School and was a member of the Ladies Missionary Meeting. She enjoyed cooking, crocheting, reading, and was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Margaret’s kindness to all and devotion to her family, and dedication to her church and church family will be remembered by those who knew her. In addition to her parents, Margaret is preceded in death by her husband, Fred Joseph Richardson, son, Gary David Richardson, brothers, James Hooker and Junior Hooker, and sisters, Mildred Hooker Coats and Sylvia Hooker Factor. Margaret is survived by her son, Larry Richardson and his wife Cathie of Sophia; daughter-inlaw, Karen Richardson of Sophia; grandchildren, Jason Richardson (Teresa) of Randleman, Brent Richardson (Anna) of Sophia, Kelly Patton (Ryan) of Asheboro, Mandy Pearce (Matthew) of Randleman; great grandchildren, Dylan Richardson (Hannah), Keylin Gamboa, Reychell Gamboa, Madeline Richardson, Ella Pennington, Eva Vuncannon, David Richardson, Berkley Pennington, Marcus Pearce, Bethany Pearce, Micah Pearce; great great-grandchild, McKinley Richardson. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins who were very special to her.
JoAnn Cranford
Chris Hoover
December 4, 1974 - January 8, 2022
September 28, 1937 - January 7, 2022
Christopher Allen “Chris” Hoover, 47, of Asheboro, passed away, Saturday, January 8, 2022, at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. Funeral services, 2:00 p.m., Friday, January 14, 2022, at Bethel Baptist Church, Asheboro, with Pastor Derrick Britt officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family kindly request that everyone wear a mask. Chris was born in Randolph County on December 4, 1974, the son of the late Dallas and Emily Hoover. He was a graduate of Southwestern Randolph High School. He loved fishing and spending time on the pier at the Waterway Campground with his friends and his extended family. Mostly he loved spending time with his family and friends, especially his girls. Chris went to work for the Asheboro Fire Department on November 8, 1998. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2005, Captain in 2013, and to Battalion Chief in 2016. He was a graduate of the prestigious Fire & Rescue Management Program at UNC Charlotte in 2019 and was currently enrolled to earn his Fire Science Degree at Randolph Community College. He was a regular attendant and participant in numerous Fire and Rescue conferences and was a member of the North Carolina Firefighters Association and NC Fire Chiefs Association, and held numerous other fire and rescue certifications. Chris also spent 20 years with Tabernacle Fire Department. In addition to his parents, Mr. Hoover was preceded in death by his brother, Michael Dallas Hoover, and his son, Jacob Christopher Hoover. Survivors include his wife, Jennifer Hoover of the home; daughters, Karli Hoover, Kara Hoover, both of the home; sister, Kathy Hoover of Asheboro; brothers, Tony Hoover and wife Teresa of Asheboro, Todd Hoover and wife Sharon of Asheboro; sister-in-laws, Brandy, Belinda; mother-in-law, Vickie Pierce and husband Ebb; nieces and nephews, Carrisa, Sarah Rachel, Regina, Dillon, Crystal, Austin, Mike, Brandon, Natalie, and Zach. Mr. Hoover will lie in repose from 1:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 13, 2022, at Ridge Funeral Home, and and the family will receive friends fom 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Friday, January 14, 2022, at the church prior to the service.
JoAnn Yow Cranford, 84, of Asheboro, died Friday, January 7, 2022, at The Randolph Hospice House in Asheboro. JoAnn in Randolph County, NC on September 28, 1937. She enjoyed getting manicure and pedicures, going shopping, eating out with her care takers, taking short trips, especially to the mountains. She loved attending Mt. Zion Church, where she adored listening to the praise team sing. JoAnn also loved spending time with her caregivers, Travis, Candace, Angela, and especially Bobbie, who she always called her best buddy ever. She often told her how much she loved her and really appreciated all she had done. She was preceded in death by her parents, James Arlie Yow, Molene Trotter Yow Brantley and James Reece Brantley; husband, Leo Cranford; sister, Mary Ludlum; and brother, Robert Yow. Surviving are her daughters, Rhonda Maness (Timothy Maness) and Sandra Leonard (Steven Leonard), all of Asheboro; son, Jackie Leo Cranford (Bobbie York Cranford) of Asheboro; sisters, Betty McMillan, Louise Cole; grandchildren, Candace, Angela, Travis, Steven, Nathan, Ashley, Heather, Chris, Brittany; 23 great grandchildren; and her little fur baby, Bottie number 4.
Eileen Guiel Mackiewicz 1933 – 2022
EILEEN GUIEL MACKIEWICZ (COOKIE) Passed away peacefully at home on January 6, 2022. She went to be with her Lord at the age of 88. She was born in 1933 in S. Hadley, MA to Henry and Julia (Flynn) Guiel. She was preceded in death by her husband Roman Mackiewicz, first husband Therman (Bill) Andrews, daughter Marylou Andrews Furtek, grandson Matthew Davila and great grandson Jaxan DiDomenico, sisters Doris (Guiel) Ragazzi & Frances (Guiel) Kotfila, brothers Alfred & Louie (Mary). She is lovingly remembered by her children Arlene Phaneuf (Rich) Milford, CT, Mike Andrews (Arlie) St. Paul, MN, Sue Andrews Seagrove, NC, Wayne Andrews (Maureen) Hubert, NC, Julie Davila Fallbrook, CA, Maureen Andrews Seagrove, NC. Her grandchildren Gary, Eric, Ronnie, Kim, Wayne, Jeremy, Alyssa, Andrew, Kristen, Julie, Marissa and Mathiue. Great grandchildren Joseph, Ryan, Cooper, Zaylie, Ander, Everly, Cayden, Cameron and River Rose. Her brothers John and Henry and many nieces and nephews. Special thanks to her daughters Sue and Mo who have taken care of Mom through the years of her declining health, also Charlene Null who helped with her care for several years. Many thanks to the wonderful nurses and aides from Hospice.
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Donnell Garner
November 20, 1941 - January 5, 2022 Olen Donnell Garner, 80, of Denton, passed away Wednesday, January 5, 2022, at Randolph Health in Asheboro. Donnell was born on November 20, 1941 in Davidson County to the late Robert Garner and Mary Magdalene Hughes Garner. He was retired from Klaussner Furniture. Donnell liked to hunt, fish, and watch his granddaughter play softball. He enjoyed traveling to the beach and to the mountains. In addition to his parents, Donnell was preceded in death by his brothers, Herman Garner, Clayton Garner; sisters, Patty Hamby, Ellna Talbert; and great grandchild, Nolan Deaton. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Norma Garner; daughters, Donna Underwood (Dean), Amy Garner (Michael), Martha Deaton; grandchildren, Chris Deaton (Stephanie), Christie Paschal (Jonathan), Amber Hussey, Alyssa Harris; great grandchildren, Shayne, Logan, Daelyn, Ayden, Colt, Carson, and Levi; sisters, Becky Powers, Kay Craig (Reid), Elaine Gallimore (Tommy), Sherrell Callicutt (Ricky); brothers, Whitman Garner, Clegg Garner, Duffy Garner (Tami); and several nieces and nephews.
WEDNESDAY
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Ronny Floyd Sizemore
WEEKLY FOR 1948 – 2022
Ronny Floyd Sizemore, 73, WEEKLY FORECA of Bear Creek, passed away
surrounded by his family, on Saturday, January 8, 2022 at S. Mitchell Mack Hospice House in Mooresville, NC. Ronny was born on July 13, 1948, the son of Walter Floyd and Florence Brewer Sizemore. Ronny was always able to make people laugh by telling a funny joke, making gestures, or WEDNESDAY being a prankster. He was always THUR generous with his time and hospitality. Ronny was an avid NASCAR and Chevrolet fan. In HI to his parents, 88°isHI H HIaddition 91° Ronny preceded in death by his brother, LOEverett LOSizemore.70° 67° LO L He is survived by his wife of 42 PRECIP 15%Sizemore; years, Belinda Riddle PRECIP 13% PRECIPP son Garrett Sizemore (Emily) of Mooresville; daughter, Amber Sizemore (Tim) of Cornelius; grandchild, Nathaniel Sizemore; sisters Betty King and husband Charles of Charlotte, and Nancy Williamson and husband Benny of Bear Creek; and several nieces and nephews.
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Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
8
STATE & NATION
2 state Supreme Court justices won’t step away from voter ID case By Gary D. Roberton The Associated Press RALEIGH — Two North Carolina Supreme Court justices — the son of a powerful legislator among them — said on Friday they won’t step away from hearing a case that challenges a pair of constitutional amendments, one of which mandates photo voter identification. Associate Justices Phil Berger Jr. and Tamara Barringer wrote separately that each believes they “can and will be fair and impartial” in hearing the lawsuit brought by the state NAACP. Both justices cited in part the will of the voters who elected them in 2020 to resolve judicial questions. Lawyers for the civil rights group asked last summer that the two justices be disqualified from participating in the deliberations, citing conflicts. The attorneys pointed to Berger as the son of Republican state Senate leader Phil Berger, who is a defendant in the lawsuit that challenges in part the legality of a 2018 statewide referendum that enshrines a voter ID mandate in the North Caroli-
COURTESY OF NORTH CAROLINA ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS VIA AP, FILE
In this photo provided by the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. poses for a picture. na Constitution. And as a senator, Barringer voted in favor of holding the referendum on the voter ID amendment. The younger Berger wrote that it’s plain that his father is listed
as a defendant due to procedure in his official capacity only, and that the lawsuit is truly against the state. “More than 2.7 million North Carolinians, knowing or at least
having information available to them concerning my father’s service in the Legislature, elected me to consider and resolve significant constitutional questions like the one here,” Berger wrote in denying the recusal motion. Barringer calculated that of the previous 100 justices on the court before here, slightly over half had first served in the legislature and had fairly and impartially judged state law. “I am following a strong and firmly rooted tradition in reaching the conclusion not to recuse myself due to my prior legislative service,” Barringer wrote. Following the July recusal requests, the seven-member court postponed oral arguments on the substance of the litigation. And in September it asked lawyers to address more than 20 questions related to recusals, including whether justices could require a colleague be removed against their will. It resulted in a flurry of filings by lawyers and academics. as well as fears among some Republicans that a majority of justices could remove Berger or
Barringer, both registered Republicans. Democrats hold a 4-3 seat advantage on the court. The Supreme Court released a decision last week that declared in any case an individual justice can either decide on their own or ask the rest of the court to do so. With whatever option is used, the recusal ruling is final, the court wrote. Friday’s orders should allow the court to take up arguments in the case soon. The lawsuit challenges another amendment that lowered the cap on a state income tax rate. A trial judge struck down the amendments in 2019, declaring that since many legislators were illegitimately elected from what were previously declared by judges as racially biased districts, they lacked the power to put the questions on the ballot. But an appeals court overturned that decision in 2020. The case is one of three pending lawsuits challenging voter ID in North Carolina. A law approved in late 2018 implementing ID details after the successful referendum is currently not enforceable. A federal case was previously set to go to trial later this month before the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments about whether legislative leaders should be permitted to formally defend the law at the trial. And in September, a state judicial panel ruled that the law was unconstitutional.
Biden shied away from news conferences, interviews in Year 1 By Aamer Madhani The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — In what’s become a familiar scene, President Joe Biden lingered after delivering a recent speech on the pandemic as reporters fired a barrage of questions. He bristled at a query about the shortage of COVID-19 rapid tests, answered another about omicron-spurred travel restrictions and sidestepped a third about whether Sen. Joe Manchin failed to keep his word when he torpedoed Biden’s social services and climate spending plan. “I’m not supposed to be having this press conference right now,” Biden said at the end of a meandering response that didn’t directly answer the question about Manchin. Seconds later, Biden turned and walked out of the State Dining Room, abruptly ending what’s become his preferred method for his limited engagements with the press. As Biden wraps up his first year in the White House, he has held fewer news conferences than any of his five immediate predecessors at the same point in their presidencies, and has participated in fewer media interviews than any of his recent predecessors. The dynamic has the White House facing questions about whether Biden, who vowed to have the most transparent administration in the nation’s history, is falling short in pulling back the curtain on how his administration operates and missing opportunities to explain his agenda. Biden has done just 22 media interviews, fewer than any of his six most recent White House predecessors at the same point in their presidencies.
EVAN VUCCI | AP PHOTO
President Joe Biden departs after speaking about the October jobs report from the State Dining Room of the White House, Nov. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C. The 46th president has held just nine formal news conferences — six solo and three jointly with visiting foreign leaders. Ronald Reagan, whose schedule was scaled back early in his first term in 1981 after an assassination attempt, is the only recent president to hold fewer first-year news conferences, according to Kumar. Reagan did 59 interviews in 1981. Former President Donald Trump, who regularly pilloried the media, did 92 interviews in his first year in office, more than two dozen of those with friendly interlocutors at Fox News. But Trump also held lengthy sessions with ABC News,
The Associated Press, the New York Times, Reuters and other outlets whose coverage he impugned throughout his presidency. Biden’s 22 media interviews have included one-on-one sessions with journalists at three of the major television networks, three CNN town halls, an appearance on MSNBC, a trio of regional television interviews via Zoom, as well as conversations with late night host Jimmy Fallon and ESPN’S Sage Steele. He’s given just three print interviews. The White House has fielded requests from media outlets — and complaints from the White House
Correspondents’ Association — for Biden to do more one-on-one interviews and formal news conferences. Press secretary Jen Psaki has pushed back, arguing that a formal news conference with “embroidered cushions” on journalists’ seats is unnecessary since Biden answers questions several times a week. But those exchanges often don’t allow for follow-up questions, and Biden can ignore questions he might not want to answer. “Fleeting exchanges are insufficient to building the historical record of the president’s views on
a broad array of public concerns. We have had scant opportunities in this first year to learn the president’s views on a broad range of public concerns,” said Steven Portnoy, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and a reporter for CBS New Radio. “The more formal the exchange with the press, the more the public is apt to learn about what’s on the man’s mind.” Psaki also holds daily press briefings, unlike her Trump administration predecessors. The president has answered questions at 55% of events where he’s delivered remarks or an address, more than even two of the more loquacious presidents, Bill Clinton (48%) and Trump (41%). White House officials pointed to such frequent interactions with reporters as evidence that Biden has demonstrated a commitment to transparency. Officials also suggested that the pandemic has also affected the number of interviews and news conferences in the administration’s first year. “I think that we have been very transparent,” White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “I don’t think you can just piecemeal and I think you have to look at it as a whole.” Biden is hardly the first president to look beyond the mainstream media to try to connect with the public. Former President Barack Obama appeared on Zach Galifianakis’s “Between Two Ferns” to help sell his signature health care law and visited comedian Marc Maron’s garage to record an episode on the popular WTF podcast days after the 2015 Charleston church shooting. Obama spoke bluntly about racism in the wide-ranging interview with Maron.
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PHOTO COURTESY STANLY COUNTY LIBRARY
Children’s section upgrade Stanly County Library’s main branch in Albemarle showed off recently completed upgrades to their children’s section in January. The social media post praised the Friends of the Stanly County Public Library for spearheading the initiative. The library also announced their book sale has added more titles, and all are available for $2 or less, with proceeds going to other library needs.
WHAT’S HAPPENING Train collides with mobile home Stanly County In Richfield on Jan. 11, a Norfolk Southern train collided with a mobile home as it was being pulled across the tracks on which the train was traveling. The accident happened in the morning “at the Clayton Richfield plant just off Highway 52,” according to WBTV. The train struck the back of the home. Nobody was injured in the incident, and traffic along Highway 52 was unaffected. An investigation by the state highway patrol into the crash is under way. WBTV
2 charged after 14-month-old overdoses Union County A man and woman are facing charges after a 14-monthold child overdosed on what’s believed to be fentanyl. The Monroe Police Department said the child was taken to the hospital Tuesday, prompting investigators to execute a search warrant at a local home. Multiple charges were filed against Tyler Shelton Perry, including felony child abuse and trafficking in opium or heroin. On Jan. 5, investigators also obtained an arrest warrant for felony child abuse on Amber Gale. She was arrested at a home in Stallings where she was staying. The 14-month-old is recovering at a local medical facility. AP
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Albemarle hires new public housing director By David Larson Stanly County Journal ALBEMARLE — The City of Albemarle announced Monday that Dr. Kim L. Scott has been appointed as the city’s new director of public housing. Scott’s duties will officially begin on Jan. 18. Despite having worked in Charlotte Housing Authority’s HOPE VI program as a resident services coordinator, Scott began his career working for the City of Albemarle. He was employed in various positions, including working for the city’s Department of Housing and, before that, as a tax clerk for the Finance Department. “We are excited to have Dr. Scott join our City team,” said city manager Michael Ferris in the press statement. “I had the privilege of working with him
during his previous tenure with the City. I know him to be extremely professional, hardworking, and conscientious. Dr. Scott will be a valuable part of our City Leadership Team and will be a tremendous asset to those we serve.” Scott will oversee the city’s 333 Section 8 vouchers and its 200 apartment units. Albemarle’s apartments are at two sites — Amhurst Gardens and Elizabeth Heights. According to the press release, “Amhurst Gardens has 150-units ranging in size from one-bedroom units up to five bedrooms. Elizabeth Heights has 50 one-bedroom units serving elderly and disabled individuals.” As a grant writer for Albemarle’s Department of Housing, Scott wrote grants to enhance the units and even the grant to establish the Amhurst Gardens Family Life Center.
“To accept the role as the City of Albemarle Director of Public Housing at this time is an opportunity to touch, challenge, and change the lives of diverse individuals and their families through programs and events that lead to self-sufficiency,” Scott said in the city’s press release. “As residents experience self-sufficiency, they will pour resources back into our community to support the vision of success and growth for the 21st Century and beyond.” According to the press release, Scott envisions the future of Albemarle’s public housing to include more mixed-income housing, rather than isolated lower-income housing. He also wants to focus on including “wrap-around services,” meaning many integrated programs delivered in a holistic manner, “including healthcare, mental
“The City of Albemarle and its residents are experiencing growth and change that will enhance the lives of all of its residents, and I want to be a part of that change. Thank you for this opportunity to serve the City of Albemarle.” Dr. Kim L. Scott, Albemarle’s new director of public housing health services, youth development, childcare, and literacy programs.” Scott also wants to make sure job training and placement are part of these services. “The City of Albemarle and its residents are experiencing growth and change that will enhance the lives of all of its residents, and I want to be a part of that change,” Scott said. “Thank you for this opportunity to serve the City of Albemarle.”
Man arrested for Jan. 4 armed robbery at Albemarle Walmart
Parents confront Gray Stone Day School Board over alleged sexual assault, masking, students eating outside
By David Larson Stanly County Journal
By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal
ALBEMARLE — The Albemarle Police Department arrested Nigel Donovan Moore of Salisbury on Jan. 6 for an armed robbery at the Albemarle Walmart two days earlier. The Salisbury Police Department assisted the APD in making the arrest. A press release by the City of Albemarle said a tip from a citizen led to the arrest. An earlier press release had described the incident and asked area res-
idents for help in identifying and locating the suspect, who they gave a picture of leaving the Walmart. On Jan. 4, Moore is alleged to have entered the Walmart, located at 781 Leonard Ave. in Albemarle just after 10 p.m. “wearing a gray hoodie, orange face mask and dark pants.” The suspect was said to have then “approached a cashier at a register and displayed a handgun and demanded money.” After receiving an undisSee WALMART, page 2
and COVID-19 quarantine policies, a social distancing policy that has led to students eating lunch outside, and the leaked social media photos of a hired athletic coach potentially participating in drug use. Gray Stone parent Rosie Alexander spoke to the board and recounted her recent experience of how the school’s administration addressed a sexual assault case involving her daughter that occurred within a school building on the night of Dec. 3, 2021.
MISENHEIMER — In what became a heated hour of discussion between the Gray Stone Day School Board of Directors and concerned parents on Monday night, Chairman Stephen Chambers threatened to adjourn the meeting ahead of schedule on multiple occasions. The board came under fire for a group of issues pertaining to the school: the handling of a recent sexual assault case with two students, the enforced mask See SCHOOL BOARD, page 2
Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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NEW YORK — Alec Baldwin said that any suggestion he’s not complying with the investigation into last fall’s deadly shooting on a New Mexico film set is a lie. At issue is a search warrant for Baldwin’s cellphone, which authorities hope can provide information helpful in the probe. Baldwin was holding a revolver during a rehearsal for his movie “Rust” on Oct. 21 when it fired, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding the film’s director. Authorities still don’t have the actor’s phone. Baldwin said in an Instagram message posted Saturday that New Mexico has to go through New York law enforcement and the process of specifying exactly what is needed takes time. “They can’t just go through your phone and take your photos, or your love letters to your wife, or what have you,” he said. Baldwin was holding a revolver during rehearsal when it fired. He has maintained that it was cinematographer Halyna Hutchins herself who asked him to point the gun just off camera and toward her armpit before it went off. Director Joel Souza also was wounded in the shooting on the Bonanza Creek Ranch film set near Santa Fe. Baldwin has said that at Hutchins’ direction he pulled the
DEATH NOTICES
WEEKLY CRIME LOG
♦ Penny Annette Miller, 54, died Tuesday, January 4th, 2022.
♦ Brower, Donovan Cequan (M, 30), Arrested on charge of Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle, at 1132 Oakland Ave, on 1/5/22.
♦ Jane Lethco, 87, died on Wednesday, January 5, 2022. ♦ Boyd Freeman, 83, of Hoffman, died Tuesday, January 4, 2022, at his home. ♦ Angela “Angie” Pearman Parnell, 49, died Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at her home after a long battle with cancer.
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Alexander stated that school officials directly violated North Carolina General Statute 115C-2, a state law that requires all sexual assault cases to be immediately reported to the victim’s parents as well as the police department. Alexander was not contacted by the school and a police report was not filed. She also alleged that her daughter was advised by a school official to “just pretend like it never happened” when she came back to school after Christmas break. “This gross negligence has only continued as we continue to push for answers and results,” Alexander said, citing her interaction with Dr. Shaunda Cooper, director of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction for charter schools, who agreed with her that
T ♦ ony Lee Letson, age 67, of High Point died Sunday, January 9, 2022, at Randolph Hospice House, Asheboro.
JAN 14
Baldwin: It’s ‘a lie’ that he’s not helping shooting probe
closed amount of money, the suspect left the Walmart with the money and “several items from the store.” Officers with the Albemarle Police Department arrived soon after, at 10:21 p.m., but the suspect had already fled the area. While the suspect allegedly pointed a gun at the cashier, “No one was injured during this incident,” the press release said. Moore has been charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault by pointing a firearm, and carrying a concealed weapon. There are also additional charges pending. He is being held on a $100,000 secured bond and was due in court this past Monday. The Albemarle Police Department asks that anyone with information on the case call 704-984-9500 or the anonymous tip line at 704984-9511.
♦ George Washington Davidson, age 60, of Ramseur, died on January 6, 2022 at the High Point Regional Hospital.
FRIDAY
SCHOOL BOARD from page 1
♦ Kennedy, Tylar Scott (M, 18), Arrested on charge of First Degree Burglary, Second Degree Trespass, Breaking or Entering, at 3069 Wow Rd, on 1/5/22. ♦ Parrish, Debbie Lula (F, 41), Arrested on charge of Conspire to Commit Felony Larceny, at 857 Hub Morris Rd, on 1/5/22. VGaviria, William (M, 27), Arrested on charge of Larceny of Motor Vehicle Parts (3 counts) at RCJ, on 1/4/22. ♦ Briggs, Terry Wayne Jr (M, 42), Arrested on charge of Assault on Government Official, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, at 2745 Eagle Nest Ct, on
JAE C. HONG | AP PHOTO
This Oct. 23, 2021, file photo, shows the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M., where actor Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger on a prop gun while filming “Rust” and unwittingly killed a cinematographer and injured a director. hammer back and that it fired when he let go. He has said he didn’t know the gun contained a live round. “Any suggestion that I am not complying with requests or orders or demands or search warrants about my phone, that’s bull——, that’s a lie,” he said. New Mexico state Investigators have described “some complacency” in how weapons were handled on the set of the Western “Rust.”
They have yet to file any charges and have been working to determine where the live rounds found on set might have come from. According to the search warrant affidavit, investigators are looking for any text messages, images, videos, calls or other information related to the movie production. Court documents state that Baldwin told investigators during an interview that there were
emails between himself and the film’s armorer Hanna Gutierrez Reed where she showed him different styles of guns and that he had requested a bigger gun, which ended up being a Colt revolver with a brown handle. A brief search of Halyna’s phone turned up conversations about the production that dated back to July as well as photographs of receipts from businesses in Santa Fe, according to the affidavit.
Gray Stone violated the law. The school board did not address the issue and opted to move on to the remaining items on its meeting agenda. In a unanimous decision, the directors voted to continue the enforcement of the school’s mask policies that have been in place for the entirety of the 2021-22 academic year. The board based its continuation of a mask mandate on the recommendations provided by the Strong Schools NC Public Health Toolkit. Because Gray Stone is a charter school, it is not legally required to follow the Stanly County Board of Education’s ruling that masks be optional. Stanly County school board candidate Patty Crump provided her input on Gray Stone’s mandate and social distancing requirements: “The fact is that masks
are unhealthy, ineffective, unnecessary, a barrier to learning, and they foster a dehumanizing environment for teachers and students that negatively impacts mental health…It’s our job to question “the science.” If you can’t question science, you have to question if the science is actually propaganda.” Crump said that she has also heard accounts of Gray Stone students who have had to eat lunch outside, at their desks, and even in the restrooms because of a new school rule that limits only four students per table in the cafeteria. Crump wasn’t alone in her dissension of the board’s COVID-related policies. “Many believe if you don’t adopt the mask mandate, the director of health and human services can shut the school down. This is not true,” said Alexis Hughes, chair of the Moms for Liberty Stan-
ly County Chapter. “I have emails from Stanly County Health Director David Jenkins stating this is not the case.” As the meeting progressed, the board was confronted with printed photos of the school’s middle school soccer coach that were posted on Instagram. In the pictures, the coach can be seen vaping with an electronic device, which can be used to consume THC; the school directors were asked if they were comfortable with that particular coach being the assigned driver for students to and from various events and games. Following an hour of discussion and public statements, the meeting went into a closed session for the rest of its duration. The next Gray Stone Board of Directors meeting is slated for Feb. 14 at 6 p.m.
1/3/22. ♦ Wishon, Ashley Nicole (F, 36), Arrested on charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Assault on Government Official, Possession of Marijuana, at 2745 Eagle Nest Ct, on 1/3/22. ♦ Barfield, Stephen Wesley (M, 53), Arrested on charge of Injury to Personal Property (5 counts), Injury to Real Property (2 counts), Breaking and or Entering, Burning Unoccupied Building, Attempted Break or Enter Building (2 counts), at 10583 Randleman Rd, on 12/30/21. ♦ Bolton McKee, James Henry (M, 47), Arrested on charge of Possession of Heroin, Carrying Concealed Weapon, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Assault on Government Official (2 counts), Resisting Public Officer (2 counts),
Failure to Appear on Misdemeanor, at 1561 Cedar Grove Rd, on 1/1/22. ♦ English, Michael Richard (M, 24), Arrested on charge of Possessoin of Stolen Motor Vehicle, Flee to Elude Arrest with MV, DWLR, Reckless Driving to Endager, Resisting Public Officer, Failure to Appear on Felony, Failure to Appear on Misdemeanor, Failure to Comply, at 1604 Greendale Rd Ext, on 1/1/22. ♦ McDuffie, Michael Aaron (M, 28), Arrested on charge of Possession of Schedule II CS, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Marijuana, Breaking and or Entering, Contributing to Deliquency of Juvenile, Larceny after Breaking/ Entering, at King View Rd and Teresa Way, on 1/2/22. ♦ Miller, Connie Nicole
(F, 25), Arrested on charge of Resisting Public Officer, Probation Violation (2 counts), Larceny of Motor Vehicle, Failure to Appear on Felony (3 counts), at 1604 Greendale Rd Ext, on 1/1/22. ♦ Wolford, Shane Bradley (M, 49), Arrested on charge of Assault on a Female, at 615 Mount Shepherd Rd Lot 22, on 1/1/22.
Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
OPINION Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor VISUAL VOICES
COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON
A New Year’s resolution
While the start of this year may feel a lot like the last, I am still optimistic for the future of our nation.
ONE YEAR AGO, our nation was deeply divided by politics and impacted by the surging COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, as we begin 2022, many of the same dynamics remain. Throughout the last year, I have stayed focused on delivering results and on the issues that matter most to you. While President Joe Biden promised to unite the country and do the same, I have been disappointed by the radical partisanship from many Washington Democrats, as well as failures to address challenges before us. President Biden spent the past two years promising he would “shut down the virus.” However today, we have more cases of COVID-19 than ever before. Tragically, more people died from COVID-19 in 2021 than in 2020. Biden promised he would provide enough testing for all Americans. Long lines at testing sites in recent weeks are evidence the Biden administration was ill prepared for this variant surge. In fact, it was just revealed the administration rejected an October proposal for hundreds of millions of free rapid tests. Now that the administration has ordered additional tests, I am working to make sure this issue is solved for our community and country. Yet other issues remain. President Biden previously criticized President Trump’s travel ban on China, calling it “xenophobic.” Yet last month, he banned travel from several countries in Africa. He criticized Trump for deferring to governors who know best how to treat their states, but now says, “there is no federal solution.” Biden criticized the Trump administration for trying to keep schools open, but now we see the damaging effects school closures have had on our children. While home over the holidays, I heard from many of you about the lasting impact overreaching COVID policies have
had on your kids, families and businesses. Thankfully, we have advanced therapeutics and vaccines to minimize deaths, and I encourage you to consult your doctor for advice. We must put the health and well-being of our children first, so we can put this pandemic behind us. As the Republican leader in the House on pandemic preparedness issues, I have sponsored numerous bipartisan bills to improve our supply chains, hold China accountable and support our health care workers. Unfortunately, Washington Democrats spent much of last year pushing sweeping vaccine mandates, yet ignoring any other ways to end the pandemic. Instead, Democrats in Congress recklessly passed trillions in new government spending that spurred inflation to a 40-year high. This resulted in high gas prices, groceries and utility bills. Crime has hit record levels in many of our cities due to liberal pushes to disrespect and defund the police. Our border has been overrun, leading to record illegal crossings and drugs like fentanyl. I have been fighting to stop these bad policies and to deliver real results for you. While the start of this year may feel a lot like the last, I am still optimistic for the future of our nation. As Leader Kevin McCarthy said, this year will define what our country will be for the next decade. Will we be a country defined by freedom, opportunity, and prosperity? Or will we continue to let America fall victim to division, malaise and pessimism? By working together this year, I believe we can secure a brighter future for our community, state and country defined by freedom, opportunity and prosperity for every American. Let’s focus on what matters and rise to the challenges before us. That’s my New Year’s resolution to you.
COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO
The Democrats’ exploitation of Jan 6 gives away their game “Every Day Is January 6 now. The Capitol riot continues in statehouses across the country, in a bloodless, legalized form that no police officer can arrest and that no prosecutor can try in court.” The New York Times editorialized
THIS YEAR, Jan. 6 was commemorated with all the ballyhoo and rigamarole Democrats and their media allies could muster. CNN did an entire special around the anniversary, titled “Live from the Capitol: January 6th, One Year Later”; the show featured the “heroes who protected our democracy in the face of an insurrection,” and included interviews with such luminaries as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and January 6 Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris commemorated Jan. 6 with special remarks, and Pelosi organized a bevy of events in memory of the riot. Now, you might ask yourself just why Jan. 6 merits such outsized attention. One need not downplay the events — the horrifying image of rioters bashing police officers with metal poles, storming through the halls of Congress shouting for Mike Pence — in order to recognize Jan. 6 for what it was: an ugly but not pivotal moment in American history. The event resulted in one direct death — rioter Ashli Babbitt was shot by a Capitol police officer — and some $1.5 million in property damage to the Capitol building; the Capitol was cleared within hours of the riot, and Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promptly presided over the certification of the 2020 election. Those who broke into the Capitol or even trespassed have ended up in jail. Meanwhile, by contrast, the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020 resulted in some $2 billion in insured property damage (and likely billions more in uninsured property damage), two dozen people died, and the resultant political movement against the police led to an unprecedented nationwide spike in homicides in major cities. To date, there have been no commemorations from CNN, speeches from Biden or Harris, or a day honoring the police officers who held rioters in check. So, what lies behind the Democratic-media obsession with Jan. 6? Political opportunism. Democrats aren’t even hiding the ball. Facing the ever-likelier prospect of a 2022 midterm wipeout, Democrats have hit on a strategy: they have to rig the electoral rules and overthrow traditional democratic
institutions in order to stop Republicans from rigging the electoral rules and overthrowing traditional democratic institutions. Jan. 6, to opportunistic Democrats, is the all-purpose excuse to use the entire weight of their party to push for a radical revision of Senate rules and federal elections. As Politico reported this week, “Democrats are hoping that Thursday will be more than just a day of remembrance. In the Senate, we hear from well-positioned sources, there’s a desire to take the opportunity to supercharge the party’s long-stalled voting rights legislation — possibly even using the anniversary to try to get Sens. Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Joe Manchin, D-W. Va, to go nuclear on the filibuster or embrace rules changes.” Yes, the electoral village must be burned in order to stop future events similar to Jan. 6. As The New York Times editorialized, “Every Day Is January 6 Now,” arguing, “the Capitol riot continues in statehouses across the country, in a bloodless, legalized form that no police officer can arrest and that no prosecutor can try in court.” The only plausible response is to federalize election procedures constitutionally given to the states, to mandate the corrupt practice of ballot harvesting, to mandate long periods of early voting and universal absentee ballots, to loosen voter verification, and much more. All because of Jan. 6. Or, perhaps, because Democrats can read the writing on the wall. They know that November 2022 cometh, and that right soon. And they hope that if they invoke the specter of Jan. 6 repeatedly, Americans will shrug and allow them to usurp authority, violate rules, and rewrite voting procedure. It won’t work. But it should reveal to Americans just who Democrats are and how little they actually care about Jan. 6 in the first place. Ben Shapiro, 37, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com.
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Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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SPORTS SIDELINE REPORT COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Wake Forest RB BealSmith transferring to South Carolina Columbia, S.C. Wake Forest running back Christian Beal-Smith, the Demon Deacons’ leading rusher the past two years, is transferring to South Carolina. Beal-Smith, who entered the transfer portal earlier this month, announced his choice on social media Monday night. Ex-Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler and tight end Austin Stogner joined the program last month. Beal-Smith, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound tailback from Winston-Salem, led Wake Forest with 732 yards in 2020. He gained 604 yards this past season as the Demon Deacons won the ACC Atlantic Division.
TENNIS
Bob Falkenburg, tennis star who gave Brazil fast food, dies Santa Ynez, Calif. Robert “Bob” Falkenburg, who saved three championship points en route to winning the 1948 Wimbledon men’s singles final at age 22 and brought fast food to Brazil during his post-tennis entrepreneurial career, has died. He was 95. Falkenburg passed away Thursday from natural causes at his home in Santa Ynez, California.Falkenburg entered his last Grand Slam tournament in 1955 after moving to Brazil with his wife, Lourdes “Lou” Mayrink Veiga Machado, and founded a series of fastfood and ice cream shops called Bob’s. He later sold the franchise. Eventually, more than 1,000 Bob’s opened in Brazil.
GYMNASTICS
3-time Olympic champion Uchimura retiring Tokyo Three-time Olympic gold medal gymnast Kohei Uchimura of Japan — the man they call “King Kohei”— is retiring, his management company said Tuesday. The 33-yearold won gold in 2012 and 2016 as the best all-around men’s gymnast, and also won a team gold in 2016. He also won four Olympic silver medals, and won gold 10 times at world championships. The 2020 Olympics, delayed a year by the pandemic, were a disappointment at home in Tokyo. Uchimura fell in qualifying in his signature high-bar event and failed to advance to the finals.
NHL
Stars coach Bowness fined for slamming stick into boards New York Dallas Stars coach Rick Bowness was fined $25,000 on Monday for twice slamming a stick against the boards behind the bench seconds after his team’s 2-1 loss at St. Louis a day earlier. The Blues scored two power-play goals in the final minute, the 11th time in NHL history that a team won in regulation after trailing by one with a minute left. The league announced the fine and said the money goes to the NHL Foundation. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour was fined the same amount earlier this season for yelling at officials.
JOHN RAOUX | AP PHOTO
Aric Almirola announced he will retire following the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season to spend more time with his young family.
NASCAR veteran Almirola to retire at end of 2022 season The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has three career Cup season wins By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola will retire from competition at the end of the 2022 season to spend more time with his young family. Almirola revealed his plans Monday to the employees at Stewart-Haas Racing at the same time Smithfield Foods announced its 11th season sponsoring the driver. “To be the best in this business you’ve got to be selfish, and for the last 37 years my life has always revolved around me and what I needed to do,” Almirola said. “I want to be present. I want to be the best husband and father, and that to me
means more than being a race car driver. “So it’s one more year where I’m all-in on racing, where we’ll do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level. But when the season is over, I’ll be ready to wave goodbye. I’ve loved every minute of it, but it’s time for the next chapter of my life.” Almirola, a Tampa native of Cuban descent, made his NASCAR national series debut in 2005 in the Truck Series. His first victory was recorded two years later in the Xfinity Series at Milwaukee, but it was a controversial race: Denny Hamlin, his teammate then at Joe Gibbs Racing, was supposed to race the car with Almirola just a fill-in until Hamlin arrived from Cup Series practice held in Sonoma, California. Almirola qualified the car, led 43 laps and was in third when Hamlin arrived and replaced Almirola
in the seat. Hamlin crossed the finish line in first but an angry Almirola was scored the winner because he was the driver who started the race. Almirola made his Cup debut with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2007 but moved to Dale Earnhardt Inc. later that season. He became a full-time Cup driver with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2012 — the same year he partnered with Smithfield — and scored his first Cup victory two seasons later in the rain-shortened July race at Daytona. Almirola and Smithfield moved to SHR in 2018, and Almirola has made the playoffs in all four seasons driving the No. 10. He has three career Cup wins and finished a career-best fifth in the 2018 standings. “In addition to being an incredibly talented racer and devoted family man, Aric embodies Smithfield’s values and has embraced our com-
mitment to do good for our customers, employees and communities,” said Shane Smith, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods. The pandemic has cut NASCAR’s schedule to mostly one-day events the past two years — down from full three-day weekends for decades — and allowed drivers to live a more traditional life and attend extracurricular events with their families. Almirola, who turns 38 in March, has a son and daughter. Almirola said he made the decision to retire with his wife, pondering if he could afford to retire young and that he’d regret not stepping away to spend time with his children before they are grown. “The answer I kept coming up with is that I can’t afford not to,” he said. “We’re going to have a 10-yearold in Alex and a 9-year-old in Abby, and I’m going to have a short window with them while they still think Dad is cool. I want to be there for them and to be a part of the things they’re interested in. “Before we know it, they’re going to have car keys and they’re going to be running off with their friends, doing the same things I did when I was 16 or 17.”
‘Black Monday’ strikes for NFL coaches The Dolphins, Broncos, Bears and Vikings all made changes on the sideline following their season finales The Associated Press FROM THE NFC North to the AFC East, the firings began almost immediately after the NFL’s first 17-game season concluded. The Vikings fired coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on Monday following an 8-9 season. Division rival Chicago parted with coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace after going 6-11. And in a relative surprise, Miami dismissed coach Brian Flores, whose Dolphins went 9-8, including a sweep of archrival New England. Indeed, the career coaching records for each total 130-112-1. Yet, while in South Florida the Dolphins seemed to be overachievers with a modest roster, both the Vikings and Bears were major disappointments this season. One major problem for Minnesota and Chicago resides in neighboring Wisconsin: the Packers. While Green Bay is an
NFL power and perennial championship contender, the Vikings and Bears have been more teasing than triumphant. “We are determined to have sustained success and bring Vikings fans the Super Bowl championships they expect and deserve,” owners Zygi and Mark Wilf said in their statement after letting go of Zimmer and Spielman. Zimmer was 7-8-1 against the Packers, which isn’t bad considering how Green Bay has performed in recent years. It was simply not close to good enough in that division. The Bears under Nagy were 1-7 against the Pack in the longest-running rivalry in pro football. Nagy, the 2018 Coach of the Year, simply was following the path of his predecessors: Chicago’s past six head coaches have had a losing record against Green Bay. There also has been no evident progress at quarterback in Chicago, and the defense has taken a step backward. The 2018 Khalil Mack trade, Pace’s biggest move with the Bears, began well and now looks unproductive. Flores, however, didn’t appear to be in danger of losing his job. One of three black head coaches in the NFL, Flores brought Mi-
BRUCE KLUCKHOHN | AP PHOTO
The Chicago and Minnesota both fired their coaches and general managers Monday, with the Bears dismissing coach Matt Nagy, left, and the Vikings letting Mike Zimmer, right.
6 NFL teams that fired their coaches during or after the 2021 season through Monday.
ami back from an awful first half of the schedule, turning around from 1-7 to 9-8 — including victories in the opener and finale against his former boss in New England. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross,
who kept GM Chris Grier, hinted at communication issues. “I think an organization can only function if it’s collaborative and it works well together, and I don’t think we were really working well as an organization ... to win consistently at the NFL level,” Ross said. Denver fired Vic Fangio on Sunday, while the Las Vegas and Jacksonville positions became open during the season. The Raiders’ Jon Gruden resigned amid a release of embarrassing emails, and Urban Meyer was fired by the Jaguars following a series of missteps on and off the field.
Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Judge says Djokovic can stay in Australia — for now The country’s government is still threatening to cancel the No. 1 player’s visa
North Stanly boys’ basketball aims for title repeat The Comets are again near the top of the Yadkin Valley Conference
The Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic returned to the tennis court Monday for training, having won a legal battle to stay in Australia to play in the Australian Open after his exemption from strict coronavirus vaccine rules was questioned. But the government is still threatening to cancel his visa and deport him. The unvaccinated tennis star was released after being confined to an immigration hotel for four nights — a drama that has gripped many in Australia and beyond. Federal Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly reinstated Djokovic’s visa, which was pulled after his arrival last week because officials said he didn’t qualify for an exemption to a rule that all noncitizens be fully vaccinated. Djokovic’s lawyers say that since he recently recovered from COVID-19, he didn’t need to be inoculated. The judge ruled the No. 1 player had not been given enough time to speak to his lawyers before the decision was made and ordered the government to release him from the Melbourne quarantine hotel where he was held. But government lawyer Christopher Tran told the judge that the immigration minister “will consider whether to exercise a personal power of cancellation.” That would mean that the nine-time Australian Open winner and defending champion could again face deportation and could miss the tournament, which starts on Jan. 17. It could also bar him from the country for three years. Late Monday night, Djokovic tweeted out a photo that showed him and his team standing on one of the main show courts of
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By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal
ANDY BROWNBILL | AP PHOTO
Novak Djokovic holds the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after winning the 2021 Australian Open. On Monday, an Australian judge reinstated the Serbian tennis star’s visa, which was canceled last week because he is unvaccinated.
“This is his greatest victory, greater than all the Grand Slams that he has won.” Dijana Djokovic, Novak Djokovic’s mother the tournament. He was already back to training, his brother told reporters in Serbia. “I’m pleased and grateful that the Judge overturned my visa cancellation. Despite all that has happened, I want to stay and try to compete @AustralianOpen,” Djokovic said in the post. The back and forth has caused a furor in Australia, where many initially decried the news that Djokovic, who has been a vocal skeptic of vaccines, had received an exemption to strict rules to compete in Melbourne. Many felt the star, who court documents say is not inoculated, was being given special treatment since Australians who aren’t vaccinated face tough travel and quarantine restrictions.
But when border police then blocked the 34-year-old on arrival, others cried foul, saying he was being scapegoated by an Australian government facing criticism for its recent handling of the pandemic. Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal called the controversy “a circus” and said he supported the decision allowing his rival to play in Melbourne. At Monday’s court hearing, Djokovic’s lawyers argued their client did not need proof of vaccination because he had evidence that he had been infected with the coronavirus last month. Australian medical authorities have ruled that people who have been infected with COVID-19 within six months can receive a temporary exemption to the vaccination rule. Judge Kelly noted that Djokovic had provided officials at Melbourne’s airport with a medical exemption given him by Tennis Australia and two medical panels. Djokovic has 20 Grand Slam singles titles, a men’s record he shares with Nadal and Roger Federer.
NEW LONDON — A year after winning the Yadkin Valley Conference title for the first time since the 2017-18 season, the North Stanly boys’ basketball team has its sights on becoming back-toback champions. While a repeat of last season’s 8-0 undefeated conference record is off the table, the Comets (9-5, 4-1 Yadkin Valley) are still near the top of the standings. The team is currently halfway through a 10-day break in its schedule dating back to its 73-53 victory at Albemarle (6-6, 1-2 YVC) on Jan. 7. “We “We improved a lot over the holidays and twoweek break that we had — the kids really got improved a better. They worked hard in some areas that we lot over the weren’t very good in, so I think it paid off,” said holidays and second-year North Stanly coach George Walker, attributing much of his team’s growth to its two-week defensive efforts. “Our defense has allowed us to break that get a lot of easy shots, so we’ve been able to get out in transition and shoot a lot of layups and we had — the uncontested jump shots. I think the numbers kids really that we’re putting up are more attributed to our got better.” defense than our offense.” In late December, North Stanly came just a few points shy of winning the Comet Christ- George mas Classic that it hosted, ultimately losing 69Walker, North 66 to Concord (12-2, 4-1 South Piedmont) in the championship game. Two Comets seniors — Stanly boys’ Clay Hatley and Dyson Bell — were named to basketball the All-Tournament for their efforts in the holcoach iday event. The Comets have won five of their past six games and hold the second-place spot in the YVC standings behind newcomer Robinson (11-2, 3-0), which handed North Stanly its only conference loss, 67-42, on Dec. 10. While a rematch between those two teams is set for Jan. 21, the Comets will first challenge the West Stanly Colts (6-6, 1-1 Rocky River) and Union Academy Cardinals (4-11, 2-1 YVC). The Comets and Cardinals have not met yet this year, but the Comets and Colts squared off on Dec. 1 when West Stanly came out on top with a 56-50 win. Walker said that the rematch against the Colts will put his roster’s recent improvement to the test: “Against [West Stanly coach John Thompson’s] team, we’re just going to have to grind it out because they’re always going to be good defensively and shoot very well. We have to keep them off the 3-point line and be able to score some five-on-five baskets, which they make very tough.” That contest is set for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off in Oakboro on Jan. 17.
CHARLIE RIEDEL | AP PHOTO
Alabama’s James Burnip warms up before the College Football Playoff championship game against Georgia on Monday in Indianapolis. Expansion to a 12-team playoff seems unlikely before 2026 after talks stalled among conference leaders.
CFP expansion talks stall, unlikely before 2026 A proposed 12-team playoff appears to be on hold for a handful of years By Ralph D. Russo The Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS — College Football Playoff expansion talks remain stalled and the possibility of implementing a new format by the 2024 season dimmed Monday after three days of meetings failed to produce an agreement. “We have entrenched issues that are no closer to being resolved,” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowls-
by said. While Bowlsby said it looked increasingly unlikely that an expanded playoff would come before the end of the current CFP contract that expires in 2026, it was not ruled out altogether. “We’re going into overtime,” Executive Director Bill Hancock said, hours before No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia played for the College Football Playoff national championship. Everybody involved supports expansion, but they are hung up on the how and when. Hancock said the management committee, comprised of 10 con-
ference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director, is still stuck on the same lingering issues: Whether conferences should have automatic qualification into an expanded field, and which ones; how bowls will be used as sites in a new system; and athlete health and welfare issues related to more games. Mississippi State President Mark Keenum, who heads the Board of Managers that has final say over the College Football Playoff, said he remains optimistic an agreement can be reached in time to add playoff spots by the 2024 season.
“I think we’ll get there,” Keenum said. A proposal for a 12-team playoff has been on the table since June. That proposal calls for the six highest-ranked conference champions, regardless of conference, to be in the playoff field along with the next six highest-ranked teams. There was hope initially an agreement could be reached soon enough to have it implemented for the 2024 season, two years before the current CFP contract with ESPN expires. “I think it was received favorably. Since then we’ve spent time on it, some don’t like it now,”
Bowlsby said. Expansion before the end of the contract has been estimated to be worth an extra $450 million for the conferences to split. Bowlsby was part of a four-person subcommittee, along with Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey, Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson and Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick that spent two years working on the 12-team plan. That came after the Pac-12 and Big Ten began calling for expansion of the playoff in 2018. Unanimous consensus among the management committee members is needed to alter the current deal. Bowlsby said a vote was taken this weekend among the management committee members, but he declined to reveal the results.
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Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson will seek reelection The Associated Press MADISON, Wis. — Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, one of former President Donald Trump’s biggest backers, announced Sunday that he will seek reelection in the battleground state for a third term. Johnson announced his decision two days after a pair of Republicans with knowledge of his decision told The Associated Press that he was close to launching a bid. The race is sure to be one of the most hotly contested in the country next year in purple Wisconsin. President Joe Biden won the state by fewer than 21,000 votes in 2020 after a similarly narrow win by Trump in 2016. Johnson won by nearly 5 points in 2010, his first race for office, and then by just over 3 points in 2016. Both times he defeated Democrat Russ Feingold. Johnson’s announcement that he will run again came a day after Republican Sen. John Thune, of South Dakota, said he would seek a fourth term. No other Senate retirements are likely beyond the five Republicans and one Democrat, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who have already announced plans to step down. Johnson, 66, had long said his preference was to serve just two terms and pledged in 2016 not to run a third time.
GREG NASH/THE HILL VIA AP, POOL, FILE
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., speaks at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2021. But Johnson rescinded the pledge in the lead-up to announcing his reelection bid, saying circumstances have changed after Democrats won the White House and control of Congress. “Much as I’d like to ease into a quiet retirement, I don’t feel I should,” Johnson wrote in an editorial announcing his reelection bid. He said the response to the
coronavirus pandemic also played a part in his decision to run again. Johnson, who contracted COVID-19 in October 2020 and is not vaccinated, has cast doubt over the efficacy of vaccines and pushed for unproven treatments. Just last week, Johnson on conservative talk radio said, “Why do we think that we can create something better than God in terms of
combating disease? Why do we assume that the body’s natural immune system isn’t the marvel that it really is?” Johnson said he did not make the decision to run again lightly. “Having already experienced a growing level of vitriol and false attacks, I certainly don’t expect better treatment in the future,” he said in his announcement. Johnson said he never voted with reelection in mind. “An extension of that promise is that I don’t conduct myself worrying about re-election,” he wrote. “When re-election is not your primary motivation, those are easy promises to keep — and I have faithfully done so.” Johnson’s opponent won’t be known this time until after an Aug. 9 primary. Several high-profile and well-funded Democrats are running, including Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is seeking to become the state’s first black senator; Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry; state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson. “The only people celebrating Ron Johnson’s announcement are his donors and the corporate special interest groups he’s bailed out time and time again,” Barnes said in a statement. “Let’s get to work and retire this failed senator.” Barnes, Godlewski, Nelson and
other Democrats faulted Johnson for breaking his promise to serve only two terms. Johnson’s decision also has ripple effects on Wisconsin’s governor’s race. Kevin Nicholson, a former Marine who ran for U.S. Senate and lost in the GOP primary in 2018, has said he would run for governor if Johnson sought reelection. Nicholson had been focused on running for Senate. His website urges supporters to “help Kevin take back Washington.” In a series of tweets Sunday, Nicholson said it was no secret he was mulling a run for governor and would announce a decision soon. Earlier, former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy bowed out of running for Senate or governor. History is on Johnson’s side in the midterm election. The party that does not hold the White House generally gains seats in midterm congressional elections. Former President Barack Obama’s Democratic Party, for example, lost 63 seats in the House and six in the Senate in 2010. Johnson, who rose out of the tea party movement in 2010, has long been aligned with Trump’s policies and politics. The two have remained close following Trump’s defeat, with Trump in April endorsing Johnson for a third term and encouraging him to run.
SC governor proposes overhaul to school funding formula By Jeffrey Collins The Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s governor is proposing a simplification of the formula the state uses to pay its portion for public schools. The new formula Gov. Henry McMaster will put into his budget plan submitted to lawmakers later this month will increase flexibility and accountability and help out poorer districts, his education staff said. The proposal sends money based on student-teacher ratio and minimum teacher salaries instead of the confusing arrays of formulas currently used. McMaster’s budget adds $120 million to the $3.4 billion being sent to local school districts to assure that 72 of the 79 districts will get more state money next school year. The remaining seven districts should remain at the same level, the governor’s office said. The formula sends money to schools based on a ratio of 11.7 students to every teacher. It then pays districts $66,524 per teacher needed, which is the median pay for South Carolina teachers. It also increases funding for certain groups, like children in special-education programs. The biggest change is raising the amount of extra money given to districts for students in poverty by two-and-a-half times per child, according to the governor’s plan. Districts can increase the student-to-teacher ratio and have wide latitude on how to spend the money, whether it be on administrators, special programs or better teacher salaries. What the governor wants in exchange is accountability, and his budget proposal would require audits by state-approved auditors, budgets published on school districts websites and searchable expenditures with a goal to try to figure out why some districts are better preparing students for college or getting students proficient in reading quicker.
JEFFREY COLLINS | AP PHOTO
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster looks at data about the COVID-19 spread in the Kershaw County School District during a discussion with school officials at Camden Elementary School on Wednesday Sept. 15, 2021, in Camden, S.C. The governor’s staff said they want to be flexible with the new formula and work with lawmakers when they return Tuesday for the 2022 session. McMaster joined with House Speaker Jay Lucas and then-Senate President Harvey Peeler in a 2019 request for ways to revamp the education spending formula sent to the South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, which forecasts how much money the state will collect and predicts how much proposed programs will cost. The agency’s report came out six months before the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor’s plan is a scaled-down version. One thing the new plan doesn’t address is a 2006 law that limit-
ed how much local governments could raise property taxes and how quickly those taxes could rise when property values increased. Schools are dependent on property taxes and those caps squeeze their ability to raise money, especially in poorer, smaller districts where there aren’t as many businesses to shoulder the tax load. The governor’s office said his plan is a first step he hopes will eventually get to a total overhaul of school funding. There is a lot of extra money flying around. The state expects to collect $1 billion more in taxes in the fiscal year that starts this July than before. There is an additional $1 billion left over from previous years where the state was careful about its spending,
worried the COVID-19 pandemic might wreck the economy. There also is more than $3 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money and penalties paid to South Carolina because the U.S. government failed to meet deadlines to remove nuclear material from the Savannah River Site near AIken. Also at the top of McMaster’s list — as it has been since he took over as governor in 2017 — is an income- tax cut. The governor proposes cutting South Carolina’s top rate from 7% to 6% over five years as long as economic growth continues. It would cost $177 million next fiscal year and about $1 billion a year when fully implemented. The governor said South Caro-
lina needs the income tax cut to stay competitive with neighboring North Carolina and Georgia, which would still have lower rates. The governor also has announced his wish to set aside $500 million to repair aging local water and sewer systems, including sweeteners like parks or new roads for cities with smaller systems that allow them to be absorbed by larger ones. McMaster’s budget also would spend $1.7 million to double the budget of the state Ethics Commission so that it could hire more investigators and give the state inspector general $1.5 million more to expand his jurisdiction to any group that receives state money, from school boards to cities to non-profits.
Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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obituaries
Johnny Blair Carpenter September 11, 1938 – December 26, 2021
Johnny Blair Carpenter, 83, of Oakboro, joined his heavenly father on Sunday, December 26, 2021. Johnny was born on September 11, 1938 in Marshville to the late Boyd Carpenter and Maggie Little Carpenter Huneycutt. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Harold Carpenter. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Barbara McLester Carpenter. He is also survived by two daughters, Blair Lee Carpenter of Charlotte and Elizabeth Cook (Chad) of Woodleaf. He also leaves behind four grandsons, Tyler Lovell, Michael Lovell, Hunter Lovell and Corey Lovell, and a greatgrandson, Ryder Lovell, all of Woodleaf. He is also survived by two sisters, Peggy (L.D.) Morgan of Stanfield and Barbara Tucker (Mark) of Cottonville.
Ronnie Allen Lowder
Jean Carolyn James Almond
David “Tuck” Melton
March 11, 1952 – January 2, 2022
April 12, 1943 – January 3, 2022
June 18, 1947 – January 4, 2022
Ronnie Allen Lowder, 69, of Albemarle, passed away Sunday, January 2, 2022 at his home surrounded by his family. Ronnie was born March 11, 1952 in Stanly County to the late James Vance Lowder and the late Margaret Louise Eudy Lowder. He is survived by his beloved wife of 43 years, Betty Ann Walton Lowder; son, Todd R. (Candice) Lowder; granddaughter, Gracie Rae Lowder; step-grandson, Elijah Moffitt; step-granddaughter, Georgia Ruth Moffitt; brothers, Mark (Tonya) Lowder, Tony (Teresa) Lowder; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Jean Carolyn James Almond, 78, of Albemarle passed away on Monday, January 3, 2022 in her home. Born April 12, 1943 in Rowan County, NC she was the daughter of the late Jessie Frank James and Haze Constance Bryant James. She was a of the Baptist Faith and worked with Wiscassett Mills and retiredfrom Perfect Fit with 25 years of service. She was preceded in death by her husband Paul Adam Almond. Survivors include son Michael Almond of Norwood; 5 grandchildren; 2 greatgrandchildren; 1 step-grandchild and 2 step great-grandchildren. Jean is also preceded in death by a daughter, Kelly Hatley, a brother, Jessie Wade James and two sisters, Phyllis Galliher and Shirley Furr.
David “Tuck” Melton, 74, of Richfield, passed away Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at his home. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Mr. Melton was born June 18, 1947 in Stanly County to the late Essie Jake Blackwelder Melton. He worked for Randy Sells Masonry. He loved playing billards and he camped in many places and he really enjoyed eating breakfast at Lulu’s every morning. David really loved spending time with his grandchildren. David is survived by a son, Joseph Melton of Richfield; three daughters, Linda Murphy (James Sanders) of Richfield, Debbie Childress (Marcus Graham) of Perry, GA and Tina Baxley (Keith) of Pleasant Garden, NC; nine grandchildren; fourteen great grandchildren; his special sidekicks, Tater and Pete and a sister, Lucy Browning (Max) of Glenwood, NC. David was also preceded in death by a sister, Goldie Huneycutt.
James Lloyd Little November 15, 1943 – January 4, 2022
James Lloyd Little, 78, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at Atrium Health Main. Mr. Little was born November 15, 1943 in Stanly County, NC to the late James Crawford Little and Leola Tucker Little. He retired from American Fiber in Albemarle. James was a member of Grace Baptist Church and a Veteran of the United States Army serving in the Vietnam Conflict. James is survived by many cousins, neighbors and friends.
Joyce Walters Tucker
June 30, 1933 – January 5, 2022
Darlene Doris Lupi Bliven February 4, 1945 – January 1, 2022
Darlene Doris Lupi Bliven, 76, of Richfield, passed away Saturday, January 1, 2022 in her home with her children and grandchildren in attendance. Mrs. Bliven was born February 4, 1945 in Niskayuna, NY to the late Victor DeOrio and Ida Phillips. She graduated from Scotia Glenville High School in 1964. She was much loved and will be remembered most for her very large heart and giving spirit. She was always ready with a smile, a hug or hot meal for any person who found themselves in need. Her door was always open to everyone and it will be a door we will all miss sorely. Darlene is preceded in death by her husband William Bradford Bliven, Sr. Survivors include their children, Lauralee M. Beemer, Victoria J. Budrawich, Melissa McCarthy and William Bradford Bliven, II; many grandchildren and great grandchildren and a sister Shirley Fagle of Spring Hill, FL.
Joyce Walters Tucker, 88, of Albemarle, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at Trinity Place in Albemarle. Joyce was born June 30, 1933 to the late Lee Jerome Walters and the late Carrie Brooks Walters. She was also preceded in death by her beloved husband, Artis Lee Tucker; brother, Ben Walters, and four sisters; Willie Burnette, Irene Hasty, Louise Little and Evelyn Adams. A private graveside service will be held on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 11:00 am at Liberty Hill Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, 20415 Hwy 24/27 W, Oakboro, NC, officiated by Rev. Cecil Tucker. Survivors include sister, Virginia Hartsell, and many nieces and nephews.
James Henry “Jim” Hudson December 12, 1938 – J anuary 3, 2022
James Henry “Jim” Hudson, 83, of Albemarle passed away January 3, 2022 in Atrium Health Stanly. Born December 12, 1938 in Stanly County, NC, he was the son of the late Arthur Lee Hudson and Lottie Austin Hudson. He was an auto mechanic and a member of Prospect Baptist Church. He enjoyed fishing and tinkering on his trucks and tractors. Mr. Hudson is survived by two sons Kyle Hudson and Shane Hudson and a sister Linda Morris of Albemarle. He was preceded in death by a brother and sister.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com
Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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STATE & NATION
2 state Supreme Court justices won’t step away from voter ID case By Gary D. Roberton The Associated Press RALEIGH — Two North Carolina Supreme Court justices — the son of a powerful legislator among them — said on Friday they won’t step away from hearing a case that challenges a pair of constitutional amendments, one of which mandates photo voter identification. Associate Justices Phil Berger Jr. and Tamara Barringer wrote separately that each believes they “can and will be fair and impartial” in hearing the lawsuit brought by the state NAACP. Both justices cited in part the will of the voters who elected them in 2020 to resolve judicial questions. Lawyers for the civil rights group asked last summer that the two justices be disqualified from participating in the deliberations, citing conflicts. The attorneys pointed to Berger as the son of Republican state Senate leader Phil Berger, who is a defendant in the lawsuit that challenges in part the legality of a 2018 statewide referendum that enshrines a voter ID mandate in the North Caroli-
COURTESY OF NORTH CAROLINA ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS VIA AP, FILE
In this photo provided by the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. poses for a picture. na Constitution. And as a senator, Barringer voted in favor of holding the referendum on the voter ID amendment. The younger Berger wrote that it’s plain that his father is listed
as a defendant due to procedure in his official capacity only, and that the lawsuit is truly against the state. “More than 2.7 million North Carolinians, knowing or at least
having information available to them concerning my father’s service in the Legislature, elected me to consider and resolve significant constitutional questions like the one here,” Berger wrote in denying the recusal motion. Barringer calculated that of the previous 100 justices on the court before here, slightly over half had first served in the legislature and had fairly and impartially judged state law. “I am following a strong and firmly rooted tradition in reaching the conclusion not to recuse myself due to my prior legislative service,” Barringer wrote. Following the July recusal requests, the seven-member court postponed oral arguments on the substance of the litigation. And in September it asked lawyers to address more than 20 questions related to recusals, including whether justices could require a colleague be removed against their will. It resulted in a flurry of filings by lawyers and academics. as well as fears among some Republicans that a majority of justices could remove Berger or
Barringer, both registered Republicans. Democrats hold a 4-3 seat advantage on the court. The Supreme Court released a decision last week that declared in any case an individual justice can either decide on their own or ask the rest of the court to do so. With whatever option is used, the recusal ruling is final, the court wrote. Friday’s orders should allow the court to take up arguments in the case soon. The lawsuit challenges another amendment that lowered the cap on a state income tax rate. A trial judge struck down the amendments in 2019, declaring that since many legislators were illegitimately elected from what were previously declared by judges as racially biased districts, they lacked the power to put the questions on the ballot. But an appeals court overturned that decision in 2020. The case is one of three pending lawsuits challenging voter ID in North Carolina. A law approved in late 2018 implementing ID details after the successful referendum is currently not enforceable. A federal case was previously set to go to trial later this month before the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments about whether legislative leaders should be permitted to formally defend the law at the trial. And in September, a state judicial panel ruled that the law was unconstitutional.
Biden shied away from news conferences, interviews in Year 1 By Aamer Madhani The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — In what’s become a familiar scene, President Joe Biden lingered after delivering a recent speech on the pandemic as reporters fired a barrage of questions. He bristled at a query about the shortage of COVID-19 rapid tests, answered another about omicron-spurred travel restrictions and sidestepped a third about whether Sen. Joe Manchin failed to keep his word when he torpedoed Biden’s social services and climate spending plan. “I’m not supposed to be having this press conference right now,” Biden said at the end of a meandering response that didn’t directly answer the question about Manchin. Seconds later, Biden turned and walked out of the State Dining Room, abruptly ending what’s become his preferred method for his limited engagements with the press. As Biden wraps up his first year in the White House, he has held fewer news conferences than any of his five immediate predecessors at the same point in their presidencies, and has participated in fewer media interviews than any of his recent predecessors. The dynamic has the White House facing questions about whether Biden, who vowed to have the most transparent administration in the nation’s history, is falling short in pulling back the curtain on how his administration operates and missing opportunities to explain his agenda. Biden has done just 22 media interviews, fewer than any of his six most recent White House predecessors at the same point in their presidencies.
EVAN VUCCI | AP PHOTO
President Joe Biden departs after speaking about the October jobs report from the State Dining Room of the White House, Nov. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C. The 46th president has held just nine formal news conferences — six solo and three jointly with visiting foreign leaders. Ronald Reagan, whose schedule was scaled back early in his first term in 1981 after an assassination attempt, is the only recent president to hold fewer first-year news conferences, according to Kumar. Reagan did 59 interviews in 1981. Former President Donald Trump, who regularly pilloried the media, did 92 interviews in his first year in office, more than two dozen of those with friendly interlocutors at Fox News. But Trump also held lengthy sessions with ABC News,
The Associated Press, the New York Times, Reuters and other outlets whose coverage he impugned throughout his presidency. Biden’s 22 media interviews have included one-on-one sessions with journalists at three of the major television networks, three CNN town halls, an appearance on MSNBC, a trio of regional television interviews via Zoom, as well as conversations with late night host Jimmy Fallon and ESPN’S Sage Steele. He’s given just three print interviews. The White House has fielded requests from media outlets — and complaints from the White House
Correspondents’ Association — for Biden to do more one-on-one interviews and formal news conferences. Press secretary Jen Psaki has pushed back, arguing that a formal news conference with “embroidered cushions” on journalists’ seats is unnecessary since Biden answers questions several times a week. But those exchanges often don’t allow for follow-up questions, and Biden can ignore questions he might not want to answer. “Fleeting exchanges are insufficient to building the historical record of the president’s views on
a broad array of public concerns. We have had scant opportunities in this first year to learn the president’s views on a broad range of public concerns,” said Steven Portnoy, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and a reporter for CBS New Radio. “The more formal the exchange with the press, the more the public is apt to learn about what’s on the man’s mind.” Psaki also holds daily press briefings, unlike her Trump administration predecessors. The president has answered questions at 55% of events where he’s delivered remarks or an address, more than even two of the more loquacious presidents, Bill Clinton (48%) and Trump (41%). White House officials pointed to such frequent interactions with reporters as evidence that Biden has demonstrated a commitment to transparency. Officials also suggested that the pandemic has also affected the number of interviews and news conferences in the administration’s first year. “I think that we have been very transparent,” White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “I don’t think you can just piecemeal and I think you have to look at it as a whole.” Biden is hardly the first president to look beyond the mainstream media to try to connect with the public. Former President Barack Obama appeared on Zach Galifianakis’s “Between Two Ferns” to help sell his signature health care law and visited comedian Marc Maron’s garage to record an episode on the popular WTF podcast days after the 2015 Charleston church shooting. Obama spoke bluntly about racism in the wide-ranging interview with Maron.
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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 16 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2022
Twin City Herald
Shooting down the Orange
PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Jake LaRavia (0) reacts after hitting a 3 pointer and giving Wake Forest Demon Deacons the first lead of the first half against the Syracuse Orange during an ACC basketball match up at Joel Lawrence Coliseum in Winston-Salem, on Jan. 8, 2022.
WHAT’S HAPPENING Widow of National Black Theater Festival founder dies Forsyth County Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin, who succeeded her late husband as board chairman and executive producer of the National Black Theatre Festival, has died. She was 76. A news release from the North Carolina Black Repertory Company said Hamlin died last Monday. The family declined to give the cause of death. Sprinkle-Hamlin took the leadership position following the death of Larry Leon Hamlin, who founded the company and produced its first festival in 1989. Hamlin died in 2007. Sprinkle-Hamlin worked for 40 years with the Forsyth County Public Library, becoming its first black and female director. She retired in 2019. AP
2 charged with making fake injury claim on traffic accident Forsyth County Two people have been accused of trying to tell investigators that one of them was hurt in a traffic accident, which was later found to be a false claim, the N.C. Department of Insurance said. Timira Chiquita Glaspy, 31, and Dandre Lamar Morrison, 33, were charged with felony insurance fraud and misdemeanor making false statements on applications for insurance. Morrison and Glaspy told insurance claim investigators with a WinstonSalem-based company that Glaspy was injured in a collision while driving her vehicle in May. Glaspy was not in her vehicle at the time and couldn’t have been injured. AP
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Miscalculation costs WinstonSalem teachers raise Twin City Herald staff WINSTON-SALEM/Forsyth County Schools employees got an unpleasant New Year’s surprise when an expected boost in pay turned out to be a mirage. The district approved a supplemental pay increase in December that promised raises for faculty and certified staff members. In January, however, the district uncovered a math error that led to an embarrassing takeback. In a letter to staff members,
“I regret the formula error was not captured before the salary schedules were made public." superintendent Tricia McManus Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Tricia McManus called the shortfall a
Mom who took her child into Capitol during riot gets prison The Associated Press A NORTH CAROLINA woman who brought her 14-year-old son into the U.S. Capitol during last year’s riot was sentenced Friday to three months imprisonment. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said she finds it “very hard to comprehend” why Virginia Marie Spencer and her husband took their child into the building during a violent insurrection. Spencer’s husband, Christopher Raphael Spencer, also was arrested. He has pleaded not guilty to riot-related charges. “It must have been a traumatic experience to witness this kind of violence,” the judge said. “It’s a complete lack of judgment on your part.” Spencer must report to prison to begin serving her 90-day sentence by Feb. 25. The judge also sentenced her to three years of probation. Spencer and her husband pressed forward toward the Capitol building with their 14-year-old son “in tow” despite seeing police shooting tear gas
on the crowd, a federal prosecutor wrote in a court filing. The Spencers joined other rioters who overwhelmed a line of police officers, invaded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office suite and demanded entry to the House chamber, the filing says. Virginia Spencer pleaded guilty in September to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of 6 months imprisonment. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of three months of incarceration, three years of probation and $500 for restitution. Her defense attorney, Allen Orenberg, asked for a sentence of one year of probation with community service. More than 700 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Over 170 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanor charges. Spencer was at least the 75th riot defendant to be sentenced. Spencer, a mother of five from Pilot Mountain who works as a See RIOT, page 2
“calculation error”. “Because of that calculation error, the amount approved was roughly $16 million dollars (sic) above what was budgeted for local increases,” the letter read. “It was a significant calculation mistake, and thankfully, it was captured before the schedule was ever implemented and executed.” That means the increases in pay announced a month earlier would not be coming to fruition. “I regret the formula error was not captured before the salary
schedules were made public,” Superintendent McManus wrote. “I never want to give misinformation and false hope, especially when it involves your compensation.” McManus developed a new four-step process to double-check salary figures, which will prevent a similar problem from occurring in the future. She said the district still wants to provide a supplemental pay increase and will be proposing a new plan to provide them at the next school board meeting. Her goal, she wrote, is to “minimize the gap between what was published in December and what is more in line with the amount of money available for supplements.” She admitted, however, that the increase would likely be lower
Winston-Salem sets appointment-only policy for buildings Twin City Herald staff WINSTON-SALEM — A North Carolina city is establishing an appointment-only policy for its buildings as it tries to maintain services in the midst of a rising COVID-19 infection rate. Starting last Friday evening and running until at least Jan. 31, in-person access to Winston-Salem city buildings will be by appointment only, according to an 11th amendment that Mayor Allen Joines made to the state of emergency declaration originally issued on March 13, 2020, in response to the pandemic. People trying to access services in city-owned or cityleased buildings will be directed to use electronic methods whenever possible, city officials said. Officials said the new order comes at a time when the number of COVID cases and the positive test rate in Forsyth County are both rising. Joines, who
An exception to the appointment rule will apply at city recreation centers, where activities will take place as normal. issued the policy, said the order aims to prevent more wide-reaching impacts on the city and its citizens if significant numbers of city workers become sick. An exception to the appointment rule will apply at city recreation centers, where activities will take place as normal, officials said. Even there, however, the city is limiting access to prevent overcrowding, officials said. Also, the Joines order directs city staff and all city boards and commissions to meet virtually through January. The county has seen 7,217 cases in the last 14 days, a case rate of 16,704 per 100,000.
Twin City Herald for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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I HOPE YOUR NEW YEAR is off to a great start. If you’re from the South, that included collards and black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. My mother always prepared those traditional dishes but I have not followed through…until this year. I decided for the first time to cook collards and black-eyed peas, even though my family is no fan of either. I determined it was time for me to go back to tradition. I was the only one to partake of the collards but everyone took a small serving of the peas. I’m glad I did it. Southern traditions are not a thing to take lightly. I did hear a very disturbing story recently about southern traditions. A fifth-grade student in Tarboro, N.C. was punished by his teacher for saying, “yes, ma’am.” The teacher made him write those words on paper, four times per line on both sides of the sheet of paper. The teacher also said if she had something to throw, she would throw it at him. Outrageous. This teacher is obviously not from the South. She would have known that was a sign of respect and being polite. Bless her Heart! I realize that things are different today. But shouldn’t it be common sense that politeness is a good thing. How could a sane person be insulted by a child being polite? That can’t just be a southern thing. Is “please” and “thank you” still acceptable or is this too considered insulting? I’m confused. A friend of mine posted a picture recently of her little grand baby and she called him “Scooter Pooter.” I hadn’t heard that expression since I was a child. My father used to say that frequently. Obviously, that’s a
♦ Betty Ann Blakeley Accetura, 70, of Forsyth County, died January 7, 2022.
♦ ARMSTRONG, RANDALL SCOTT was arrested on a charge of DRUGSPOSS SCHED II at 844 E SPRAGUE ST on 1/8/2022
♦ Donna Jean Barton, 72, died January 5, 2022. ♦ Michael Lee Berrier, 62, of Clemmons, died January 7, 2022. ♦ Alice Bess, 88, of WinstonSalem, died January 5, 2022. ♦ Robert Dorian Boyd, 51, of Winston-Salem, died January 5, 2022. ♦ Jerald Chamelin, 78, of Kernersville, died January 5, 2022. ♦ Mary Joyce Cheek, 81, of Stokes County, died January 8, 2022. ♦ Teresa (Aaron) Childress, 60, died January 9, 2022. ♦ Minnie Cornatzer, 94, died January 5, 2022. ♦ William Odell Dudley, 93, of Forsyth County, died January 8, 2022. ♦ Caleb Reid (CR) Gilley, 81, of South Westfield, died January 7, 2022. ♦ Jack Haywood Hall, 88, died January 7, 2022. ♦ Pearl Virginia Via Johnson, 75, of Kernersville, died January 6, 2022.
♦ BAGLEY, TERRY JR was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT-SIMPLE at 690 JONESTOWN RD on 1/6/2022 ♦ Bowman, Kendall Vincent (M/22) Arrest on chrg of 1) Drugs-poss Sched Ii (F), 2) P/w/i/s/d Cocaine (F), 3) Drugs-poss Sched I (F), 4) P/w/i/s/d Sched I (F), 5) P/w/i/s/d Sched Iii (F), 6) Drugs-misd Poss (M), 7) P/w/i/s/d Sched Iii (F), 8) Drug Paraphernalia (M), 9) Drug Paraphernalia (M), and 10) Resisting Arrest (M), at 5066 Harley Dr/new Walkertown Rd, Walkertown, NC, on 1/5/2022 03:30. ♦ Boyd, Rebecca Lynn (F/31) Arrest on chrg of 1) Impaired Driving Dwi (M) and 2) Ndl-drive While Lic Revoked After Division Sent Notificatio (M), at 2568 Lewisville-clemmons Rd/cook Av, Clemmons, NC, on 1/9/2022 01:42. ♦ BROWN, DWAYNE PATRICK was arrested on a charge of FELON ADW/SER INJURY at 619 MOUNT VERNON AV on 1/7/2022 ♦ Campos, Jose Martin (M/27) Arrest on chrg of 1) Driving While Impaired (M) and 2) Open Beverage (M), at 3439 Country Club Rd/sutters Place Ct, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/9/2022 03:51. ♦ Carpenter, Anthony Nashawn (M/23) Arrest on chrg of 1) Probation Violation (F), 2) Probation Violation (F), 3) Probation Violation (F), and 4) Probation Violation (F), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/10/2022 18:55.
♦ Frank Lynch, 87, of WinstonSalem, died January 7, 2022.
♦ Christmas, Nathan John (M/33) Arrest on chrg of 1) Fail To Appear/ compl (M), 2) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 3) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 4) Probation Violation (M), and 5) Probation Violation (M), at 8459 Stroupe Farm Rd, Tobaccoville, NC, on 1/7/2022 17:53.
♦ Jo Ann Spach Marsh, 78, of Winston-Salem, died January 9, 2022.
♦ COUCH, ETHAN CHRISTOPHER was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at NB 421/
♦ Manuel Emilio Kelly, 91, died January 8, 2022. ♦ Edna Mae Lane, 73, died January 9, 2022.
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WEEKLY CRIME LOG
♦ Reverend Donald Winberry Ashe, 89, of Jackson County, died January 6, 2022.
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COLUMN | JOYCE KRAWIEC
DEATH NOTICES
♦ Herman “Otis” Anderson, 81, of Winston-Salem, died January 5, 2022.
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southern thing. During Christmas shopping I caught myself using Southern slang. (I try to contain myself, but sometimes I slip up.) When asked if I needed help carrying my stuff to the car, I answered, “Oh, no thanks, I’moan roll the buggy out. Oops. I meant to say, “I’m going to roll the shopping cart out.” I started thinking about these Southern isms that my family normally used. If you’re from the South, you may recognize them. * Goodness Gracious * Well, I Swanee (my mother didn’t like to swear) * Madder than a wet hen * Livin in High Cotton * Well, I Declare * You look like you’ve been rode hard and put up wet * Hold your Horses * Ain’t got the sense God gave a billy goat * Over yonder (and you knew exactly where that was) * Too big for his britches * Bless your pea pickin Heart * Throwing hissy fits * Law, put that skirt down. I can see the promised land * I’moan jerk a knot in your tail * If I had my druthers Southerners can’t drive in the snow. We all know that. The following is an actual news alert, from a local weatherman, giving advice about driving in snow. “If you rarely drive on snow, just pretend you’re driving Grandma to church. There’s a platter of biscuits and 2 gallons of sweet tea in glass jars on the back seat. She’s wearing
KNOLLWOOD ST_NB 421 RA on 1/9/2022 ♦ Courtner, Joshua Lee (M/41) Arrest on chrg of 1) Child Abuse (M) and 2) Impaired Driving Dwi (M), at 3741 A Street, Walkertown, NC, on 1/6/2022 20:30. ♦ CUSTER, JESTUS KAIMARA was arrested on a charge of 2ND DEGREE TRESPASS at 3475 PARKWAY VILLAGE CR on 1/8/2022 ♦ DAVIS, BRYTARRIUS ELIM was arrested on a charge of ADW INFLICT INJURY at 201 N CHURCH ST on 1/7/2022 ♦ Davis, Mitchel Jacob (M/34) Arrest on chrg of 1) Assault On Female (M), 2) Breaking/larc-felony (F), and 3) Probation Violation (M), at 490 E Hanes Mill Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/6/2022 14:25. ♦ Davis, Mitchel Jacob (M/34) Arrest on chrg of Probation Violation (M), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/6/2022 23:48. ♦ Dominguez Silverio, Moises Esteban (M/20) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 5130 Morrell Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/6/2022 01:00. ♦ DUCKSWORTH, YVETTE RENEE was arrested on a charge of FRAUD-OBT PROPERTY at 1331 N JACKSON AV on 1/8/2022
a new dress and holding a crock pot full of gravy.” Southerners know that could actually happen. The South is different than the rest of the nation. We have our own words for different things. We have our own culture and traditions, making us unique, and we’re proud of that. Our friends from the North often equate our slow talkin’ to low intelligence. That would be a big mistake. We are polite and friendly, but we have an ugly side when insulted. We do cling to our guns and religion as President Obama once told the nation. We’re proud of that too. Most popular modern music was born in the South. Bluegrass, country, blues, rock, jazz are all birthed in the southern part of the country. The North only has RAP. We southerners can strike up a conversation in the line at the grocery store, but when we don’t want to talk. Leave us alone. Counseling a Southerner is a psychiatrist’s worst nightmare. It goes something like this. “Why do you feel that way?” “I just do.” “Why are you so angry?” “I just am.” Real deep stuff. Many residents from the North are moving here. Who can blame them? We welcome them and hope they will become true Southerners. But please don’t let them bring those crazy ideas that made them want to leave the place they came from. We don’t want to change our culture and traditions. We just want all newcomers to embrace it. We’re very tolerant and patient, we’ll give you all the time you need. Happy New Year. I’ll be here again next week, IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE. Joyce Krawiec has served in the North Carolina Senate from the 31st district since 2014.
Winston Salem, NC, on 1/6/2022 09:36. ♦ HERNANDEZ, JOSE ANGEL was arrested on a charge of INDECENT LIBERTIES at 114 PENNER ST on 1/6/2022 ♦ Herrera Zavala, Erick Geovany (M/24) Arrest on chrg of 1) Felonious Restraint (F), 2) Adw - Inflict Injury (M), 3) Adw-other Weapon (M), and 4) Intimidate Witness (F), at 101 Meadowbrook Park Dr/flynnwood Dr, Kernersville, NC, on 1/6/2022 11:52. ♦ KENNEDY, DYLAN ADDISON was arrested on a charge of RESISTING ARREST at 200 MERCANTILE DR on 1/8/2022 ♦ MENDOZA, LUIS JAVIER was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT - IN PRESENCE OF A MINOR (AFFRAY, DEADLY WEAPON, ET at 4985 LUTHER GREEN RD on 1/6/2022 ♦ MERLIN, ERNESTO GALLARDO was arrested on a charge of VANDPERSONAL PROP at 1899 GENEVA RD/WEATHERWOOD LN on 1/8/2022 ♦ Mims, Parris Spencer (M/30) Arrest on chrg of Vio. Protective Order By Courts Another State/ Indian Tribe (M), at 3178 Peters Creek Pw, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/10/2022 14:30.
♦ DUNN, SHANTE NICOLE was arrested on a charge of AFFRAY at 2061 BETHABARA RD on 1/6/2022
♦ MORA, RAY ANTONIO was arrested on a charge of DRUGS-POSS SCHED I at 2835 REYNOLDA RD on 1/8/2022
♦ ELKINS, RICARDO DANIEL was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 201 N CHURCH ST on 1/6/2022
♦ NEAL, REBECCA GAIL was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT-SIMPLE at 239 CREEKVIEW DR on 1/9/2022
♦ FREEMAN, MARK MATTHEW was arrested on a charge of PROBATION VIOLATION at 5214 GERMANTON RD on 1/10/2022 ♦ Gregg, Warren Oneil (M/26) Arrest on chrg of 1) Possession Marijuana (M), 2) Drug Paraphernalia (M), 3) Ccw (M), 4) Weap-poss By Felon (F), and 5) Resisting Arrest (M), at Fraternity Church Rd/canter Ln,
♦ PARDUE, ALEXIS JANECE RAE was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at 399 N SPRUCE ST on 1/6/2022 ♦ PATRICK, XAIVER JAQUAN was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 5710 SHATTALON DR on 1/8/2022
Hawk Ridge Dr, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/8/2022 05:12. ♦ Priddy, Joshua Steven (M/32) Arrest on chrg of 1) Larceny/ misdemeanor (M), 2) Larcenyfelony (F), 3) Drug Paraphernalia (M), 4) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 5) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 6) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 7) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 8) Fail To Appear/compl (M), and 9) Resisting Arrest (M), at 400 Blk Heatherton Ln, Rural Hall, NC, on 1/6/2022 18:10. ♦ RAHMAN, FARZANA was arrested on a charge of DRIVING WHILE IMPAIRED at W FOURTEENTH ST on 1/7/2022 ♦ ROBINSON, ALEXANDER was arrested on a charge of REC/POSS STOLE MV at 3810 N PATTERSON AV on 1/8/2022 ♦ Robinson, Rayshaun Dtonio (M/24) Arrest on chrg of Malicious Conduct By Prisoner (F), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/9/2022 18:40. ♦ Sheets, Dennis Keith (M/59) Arrest on chrg of Adw - Inflict Injury (M), at 675 Flynnwood Dr, Kernersville, NC, on 1/6/2022 02:08. ♦ SILVA, DAMIAN LEE was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at 1214 REYNOLDA RD on 1/6/2022 ♦ TEHUINTLE, ISMAEL PANZO was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at 6199 SILAS CREEK PW/SILAS RIDGE RD on 1/6/2022 ♦ Tyler, Jikeem Gabriel (M/30) Arrest on chrg of 1) Weap-poss By Felon (F), 2) Fail To Appear/compl (M), and 3) Fail To Appear/compl (M), at Wb 40 At Union Cross Rd, Winstonsalem, NC, on 1/8/2022 23:39. ♦ Wolfe, Korona Nicole (F/38) Arrest on chrg of Assault-simple (M), at 3620 Clemmons Rd, Clemmons, NC, on 1/7/2022 02:05.
♦ Petree, Danielle Ann (F/21) Arrest on chrg of Child Abuse, M (M), at 220
♦ Alma Jean Williams McBride, 94, of Winston-Salem, died January 6, 2022. ♦ Marc Anthony Turkaly, 80, of Winston-Salem, died January 9, 2022. ♦ Timothy David VonCannon, 60, died January 8, 2022. ♦ Thelma Inez Jones Williams, 92, died January 9, 2022.
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restaurant cashier, was arrested in Durham, North Carolina, in February. On Jan. 6, 2021, the Spencers and their son walked to the Capitol behind a group of members of the far-right Proud Boys. The couple briefly stopped to scream
profanities at a counter-protester, according to prosecutors. Inside the Capitol, Christopher Spencer filmed a Facebook Live video as he and his wife briefly entered Pelosi’s office suite, prosecutors said. “Of note, Speaker Pelosi had staff members who were trapped inside that suite as the rioters
called for Speaker Pelosi steps away from them,” a prosecutor wrote. Virginia Spencer later joined a group of rioters who were chanting “Stop the steal!” and “Break it down!” outside the House Chamber door, although prosecutors say she wasn’t vocal or at the front of that crowd.
The Spencers spent more than 30 minutes inside the Capitol before leaving. Spencer’s lawyer says she “ate up” media coverage of protests that erupted across the country in the summer of 2020 after a white police officer killed a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis.
Twin City Herald for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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Wake Forest RB BealSmith transferring to South Carolina Columbia, S.C. Wake Forest running back Christian Beal-Smith, the Demon Deacons’ leading rusher the past two years, is transferring to South Carolina. Beal-Smith, who entered the transfer portal earlier this month, announced his choice on social media Monday night. Ex-Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler and tight end Austin Stogner joined the program last month. Beal-Smith, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound tailback from Winston-Salem, led Wake Forest with 732 yards in 2020. He gained 604 yards this past season as the Demon Deacons won the ACC Atlantic Division.
TENNIS
Bob Falkenburg, tennis star who gave Brazil fast food, dies Santa Ynez, Calif. Robert “Bob” Falkenburg, who saved three championship points en route to winning the 1948 Wimbledon men’s singles final at age 22 and brought fast food to Brazil during his post-tennis entrepreneurial career, has died. He was 95. Falkenburg passed away Thursday from natural causes at his home in Santa Ynez, California.Falkenburg entered his last Grand Slam tournament in 1955 after moving to Brazil with his wife, Lourdes “Lou” Mayrink Veiga Machado, and founded a series of fastfood and ice cream shops called Bob’s. He later sold the franchise. Eventually, more than 1,000 Bob’s opened in Brazil.
GYMNASTICS
3-time Olympic champion Uchimura retiring Tokyo Three-time Olympic gold medal gymnast Kohei Uchimura of Japan — the man they call “King Kohei”— is retiring, his management company said Tuesday. The 33-yearold won gold in 2012 and 2016 as the best all-around men’s gymnast, and also won a team gold in 2016. He also won four Olympic silver medals, and won gold 10 times at world championships. The 2020 Olympics, delayed a year by the pandemic, were a disappointment at home in Tokyo. Uchimura fell in qualifying in his signature high-bar event and failed to advance to the finals.
JOHN RAOUX | AP PHOTO
Aric Almirola announced he will retire following the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season to spend more time with his young family.
NASCAR veteran Almirola to retire at end of 2022 season The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has three career Cup season wins By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola will retire from competition at the end of the 2022 season to spend more time with his young family. Almirola revealed his plans Monday to the employees at Stewart-Haas Racing at the same time Smithfield Foods announced its 11th season sponsoring the driver. “To be the best in this business you’ve got to be selfish, and for the last 37 years my life has always revolved around me and what I needed to do,” Almirola said. “I want to be present. I want to be the best husband and father, and that to me
Stars coach Bowness fined for slamming stick into boards New York Dallas Stars coach Rick Bowness was fined $25,000 on Monday for twice slamming a stick against the boards behind the bench seconds after his team’s 2-1 loss at St. Louis a day earlier. The Blues scored two power-play goals in the final minute, the 11th time in NHL history that a team won in regulation after trailing by one with a minute left. The league announced the fine and said the money goes to the NHL Foundation. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour was fined the same amount earlier this season for yelling at officials.
in the seat. Hamlin crossed the finish line in first but an angry Almirola was scored the winner because he was the driver who started the race. Almirola made his Cup debut with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2007 but moved to Dale Earnhardt Inc. later that season. He became a full-time Cup driver with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2012 — the same year he partnered with Smithfield — and scored his first Cup victory two seasons later in the rain-shortened July race at Daytona. Almirola and Smithfield moved to SHR in 2018, and Almirola has made the playoffs in all four seasons driving the No. 10. He has three career Cup wins and finished a career-best fifth in the 2018 standings. “In addition to being an incredibly talented racer and devoted family man, Aric embodies Smithfield’s values and has embraced our com-
‘Black Monday’ strikes for NFL coaches The Dolphins, Broncos, Bears and Vikings all made changes on the sideline following their season finales The Associated Press
NHL
means more than being a race car driver. “So it’s one more year where I’m all-in on racing, where we’ll do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level. But when the season is over, I’ll be ready to wave goodbye. I’ve loved every minute of it, but it’s time for the next chapter of my life.” Almirola, a Tampa native of Cuban descent, made his NASCAR national series debut in 2005 in the Truck Series. His first victory was recorded two years later in the Xfinity Series at Milwaukee, but it was a controversial race: Denny Hamlin, his teammate then at Joe Gibbs Racing, was supposed to race the car with Almirola just a fill-in until Hamlin arrived from Cup Series practice held in Sonoma, California. Almirola qualified the car, led 43 laps and was in third when Hamlin arrived and replaced Almirola
mitment to do good for our customers, employees and communities,” said Shane Smith, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods. The pandemic has cut NASCAR’s schedule to mostly one-day events the past two years — down from full three-day weekends for decades — and allowed drivers to live a more traditional life and attend extracurricular events with their families. Almirola, who turns 38 in March, has a son and daughter. Almirola said he made the decision to retire with his wife, pondering if he could afford to retire young and that he’d regret not stepping away to spend time with his children before they are grown. “The answer I kept coming up with is that I can’t afford not to,” he said. “We’re going to have a 10-yearold in Alex and a 9-year-old in Abby, and I’m going to have a short window with them while they still think Dad is cool. I want to be there for them and to be a part of the things they’re interested in. “Before we know it, they’re going to have car keys and they’re going to be running off with their friends, doing the same things I did when I was 16 or 17.”
FROM THE NFC North to the AFC East, the firings began almost immediately after the NFL’s first 17-game season concluded. The Vikings fired coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on Monday following an 8-9 season. Division rival Chicago parted with coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace after going 6-11. And in a relative surprise, Miami dismissed coach Brian Flores, whose Dolphins went 9-8, including a sweep of archrival New England. Indeed, the career coaching records for each total 130-112-1. Yet, while in South Florida the Dolphins seemed to be overachievers with a modest roster, both the Vikings and Bears were major disappointments this season. One major problem for Minnesota and Chicago resides in neighboring Wisconsin: the Packers. While Green Bay is an NFL pow-
er and perennial championship contender, the Vikings and Bears have been more teasing than triumphant. “We are determined to have sustained success and bring Vikings fans the Super Bowl championships they expect and deserve,” owners Zygi and Mark Wilf said in their statement after letting go of Zimmer and Spielman. Zimmer was 7-8-1 against the Packers, which isn’t bad considering how Green Bay has performed in recent years. It was simply not close to good enough in that division. The Bears under Nagy were 1-7 against the Pack in the longest-running rivalry in pro football. Nagy, the 2018 Coach of the Year, simply was following the path of his predecessors: Chicago’s past six head coaches have had a losing record against Green Bay. There also has been no evident progress at quarterback in Chicago, and the defense has taken a step backward. The 2018 Khalil Mack trade, Pace’s biggest move with the Bears, began well and now looks unproductive. Flores, however, didn’t appear to be in danger of losing his job. One of three black head coaches in the NFL, Flores brought Mi-
BRUCE KLUCKHOHN | AP PHOTO
The Chicago and Minnesota both fired their coaches and general managers Monday, with the Bears dismissing coach Matt Nagy, left, and the Vikings letting Mike Zimmer, right.
6 NFL teams that fired their coaches during or after the 2021 season through Monday. ami back from an awful first half of the schedule, turning around from 1-7 to 9-8 — including victories in the opener and finale against his former boss in New England. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross,
who kept GM Chris Grier, hinted at communication issues. “I think an organization can only function if it’s collaborative and it works well together, and I don’t think we were really working well as an organization ... to win consistently at the NFL level,” Ross said. Denver fired Vic Fangio on Sunday, while the Las Vegas and Jacksonville positions became open during the season. The Raiders’ Jon Gruden resigned amid a release of embarrassing emails, and Urban Meyer was fired by the Jaguars following a series of missteps on and off the field.
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Twin City Herald for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
4
STATE & NATION
2 state Supreme Court justices won’t step away from voter ID case By Gary D. Roberton The Associated Press RALEIGH — Two North Carolina Supreme Court justices — the son of a powerful legislator among them — said on Friday they won’t step away from hearing a case that challenges a pair of constitutional amendments, one of which mandates photo voter identification. Associate Justices Phil Berger Jr. and Tamara Barringer wrote separately that each believes they “can and will be fair and impartial” in hearing the lawsuit brought by the state NAACP. Both justices cited in part the will of the voters who elected them in 2020 to resolve judicial questions. Lawyers for the civil rights group asked last summer that the two justices be disqualified from participating in the deliberations, citing conflicts. The attorneys pointed to Berger as the son of Republican state Senate leader Phil Berger, who is a defendant in the lawsuit that challenges in part the legality of a 2018 statewide referendum that enshrines a voter ID mandate in the North Caroli-
COURTESY OF NORTH CAROLINA ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS VIA AP, FILE
In this photo provided by the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. poses for a picture. na Constitution. And as a senator, Barringer voted in favor of holding the referendum on the voter ID amendment. The younger Berger wrote that it’s plain that his father is listed
as a defendant due to procedure in his official capacity only, and that the lawsuit is truly against the state. “More than 2.7 million North Carolinians, knowing or at least
having information available to them concerning my father’s service in the Legislature, elected me to consider and resolve significant constitutional questions like the one here,” Berger wrote in denying the recusal motion. Barringer calculated that of the previous 100 justices on the court before here, slightly over half had first served in the legislature and had fairly and impartially judged state law. “I am following a strong and firmly rooted tradition in reaching the conclusion not to recuse myself due to my prior legislative service,” Barringer wrote. Following the July recusal requests, the seven-member court postponed oral arguments on the substance of the litigation. And in September it asked lawyers to address more than 20 questions related to recusals, including whether justices could require a colleague be removed against their will. It resulted in a flurry of filings by lawyers and academics. as well as fears among some Republicans that a majority of justices could remove Berger or
Barringer, both registered Republicans. Democrats hold a 4-3 seat advantage on the court. The Supreme Court released a decision last week that declared in any case an individual justice can either decide on their own or ask the rest of the court to do so. With whatever option is used, the recusal ruling is final, the court wrote. Friday’s orders should allow the court to take up arguments in the case soon. The lawsuit challenges another amendment that lowered the cap on a state income tax rate. A trial judge struck down the amendments in 2019, declaring that since many legislators were illegitimately elected from what were previously declared by judges as racially biased districts, they lacked the power to put the questions on the ballot. But an appeals court overturned that decision in 2020. The case is one of three pending lawsuits challenging voter ID in North Carolina. A law approved in late 2018 implementing ID details after the successful referendum is currently not enforceable. A federal case was previously set to go to trial later this month before the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments about whether legislative leaders should be permitted to formally defend the law at the trial. And in September, a state judicial panel ruled that the law was unconstitutional.
Biden shied away from news conferences, interviews in Year 1 By Aamer Madhani The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — In what’s become a familiar scene, President Joe Biden lingered after delivering a recent speech on the pandemic as reporters fired a barrage of questions. He bristled at a query about the shortage of COVID-19 rapid tests, answered another about omicron-spurred travel restrictions and sidestepped a third about whether Sen. Joe Manchin failed to keep his word when he torpedoed Biden’s social services and climate spending plan. “I’m not supposed to be having this press conference right now,” Biden said at the end of a meandering response that didn’t directly answer the question about Manchin. Seconds later, Biden turned and walked out of the State Dining Room, abruptly ending what’s become his preferred method for his limited engagements with the press. As Biden wraps up his first year in the White House, he has held fewer news conferences than any of his five immediate predecessors at the same point in their presidencies, and has participated in fewer media interviews than any of his recent predecessors. The dynamic has the White House facing questions about whether Biden, who vowed to have the most transparent administration in the nation’s history, is falling short in pulling back the curtain on how his administration operates and missing opportunities to explain his agenda. Biden has done just 22 media interviews, fewer than any of his six most recent White House predecessors at the same point in their presidencies.
EVAN VUCCI | AP PHOTO
President Joe Biden departs after speaking about the October jobs report from the State Dining Room of the White House, Nov. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C. The 46th president has held just nine formal news conferences — six solo and three jointly with visiting foreign leaders. Ronald Reagan, whose schedule was scaled back early in his first term in 1981 after an assassination attempt, is the only recent president to hold fewer first-year news conferences, according to Kumar. Reagan did 59 interviews in 1981. Former President Donald Trump, who regularly pilloried the media, did 92 interviews in his first year in office, more than two dozen of those with friendly interlocutors at Fox News. But Trump also held lengthy sessions with ABC News,
The Associated Press, the New York Times, Reuters and other outlets whose coverage he impugned throughout his presidency. Biden’s 22 media interviews have included one-on-one sessions with journalists at three of the major television networks, three CNN town halls, an appearance on MSNBC, a trio of regional television interviews via Zoom, as well as conversations with late night host Jimmy Fallon and ESPN’S Sage Steele. He’s given just three print interviews. The White House has fielded requests from media outlets — and complaints from the White House
Correspondents’ Association — for Biden to do more one-on-one interviews and formal news conferences. Press secretary Jen Psaki has pushed back, arguing that a formal news conference with “embroidered cushions” on journalists’ seats is unnecessary since Biden answers questions several times a week. But those exchanges often don’t allow for follow-up questions, and Biden can ignore questions he might not want to answer. “Fleeting exchanges are insufficient to building the historical record of the president’s views on
a broad array of public concerns. We have had scant opportunities in this first year to learn the president’s views on a broad range of public concerns,” said Steven Portnoy, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and a reporter for CBS New Radio. “The more formal the exchange with the press, the more the public is apt to learn about what’s on the man’s mind.” Psaki also holds daily press briefings, unlike her Trump administration predecessors. The president has answered questions at 55% of events where he’s delivered remarks or an address, more than even two of the more loquacious presidents, Bill Clinton (48%) and Trump (41%). White House officials pointed to such frequent interactions with reporters as evidence that Biden has demonstrated a commitment to transparency. Officials also suggested that the pandemic has also affected the number of interviews and news conferences in the administration’s first year. “I think that we have been very transparent,” White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “I don’t think you can just piecemeal and I think you have to look at it as a whole.” Biden is hardly the first president to look beyond the mainstream media to try to connect with the public. Former President Barack Obama appeared on Zach Galifianakis’s “Between Two Ferns” to help sell his signature health care law and visited comedian Marc Maron’s garage to record an episode on the popular WTF podcast days after the 2015 Charleston church shooting. Obama spoke bluntly about racism in the wide-ranging interview with Maron.
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MOORE COUNTY
GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO
In this April 14, 2014, file photo, the men’s and women’s U.S. Open Championship trophies are displayed in a bunker along the 18th fairway at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2 in Pinehurst.
COUNTY NEWS FirstHealth offers drivethru Covid testing FirstHealth is offering COVID-19 tests at drive-thru locations in Pinehurst and Raeford. The sites are open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and no appointments are required. The Pinehurst site is in FirstHealth’s new cancer center parking lot off Aviemore Drive. The Hoke County location is behind FirstHealth Convenient Care in Raeford. Testing costs range from $110 to $150 before insurance and depends on the type of test. Most with health insurance will pay nothing. FirstHealth also offers a financial assistance program.
Moore County sees increase in Covid cases Covid cases have risen steadily in Moore County since mid-November. Through Sunday, January 9, the county experienced over 200 new cases per day. As of Monday, over 260 people have died with Covid in the county, according to public health officials. Over 90% of the deaths were in patients 50 years and older. No deaths have occurred in Moore County among residents under the age of 25. Over 91% of the county’s adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine with 89.6% of residents over 65 being fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
Prep basketball restarts this week All of the local high school basketball teams were back in action this week. Following several games on Tuesday, most of the schools will be on the road for varsity games. The Pinecrest Patriots will travel to Hoke County Friday night to face the Bucks in Raeford. North Moore heads north to Burlington where the Mustangs will face the Cummings Cavaliers. The O’Neal School visits Durham Friday to face Trinity of Durham and Chapel Hill. Union Pines hosts Southern Lee Friday night.
Pinehurst will pull double duty for US Open in 2029 Four US Opens in Moore County over next 8 years By Brett Friedlander North State Journal THE U.S. OPEN and Women’s U.S. Open golf championships are both scheduled to return to the Sandhills over the next two years. But that’s not what’s creating the biggest buzz around “The cradle of American golf” these days. Anticipation is already growing for 2029, when the USGA has announced it wil bring its two signature events back to Pinehurst on consecutive weeks. It will mark just the second time ever that the U.S.
Open and Women’s Open will be played on the same course back-toback. The first time, in 2014, was also on Pinehurst’s famed No. 2 course with American Michelle Wie and German Martin Kaymer taking home the championship trophies. “Having the world’s best male and female players here for two consecutive weeks was a historic and unforgettable experience in 2014,” said Pinehurst Resort CEO Bob Dedman Jr. “To know we will again see them interact and compete on the same course is awe-inspiring. We are grateful to the USGA for the opportunity to serve as the site for one of the most unique experiences in all of golf.”
Pinehurst and the USGA have had a long and successful relationship over the years. In 2020, the golf’s governing body announced that it planned to locate its second headquarters at the resort and that its famed No. 2 course would serve as an “anchor site” for future championships. In addition to the upcoming Men’s Open in 2024, Pinehurst is already scheduled to host the event again in 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047. The decision to add the Women’s Open to that schedule in 2029 is part of a years-long effort to, in the words of the USGA’s chief championships officer John Bodenhamer, “empower” the event and help raise its profile to a similar level as the Men’s Open. With the help of its new presenting sponsor, Ohio-based health organization PreMedica, the USGA has also significantly increased its prize money for the women’s event. The purse for this year’s Women’s Open – which will be held from June 2-5 at Pine Needles in Southern Pines will be $10 million, nearly double the $5.5 million in prize money paid out in 2021 at the Olym-
pic Club in San Francisco. The winner will earn $1.8 million – more than all but three female golfers made for the entire 2021 season according to Golfweek magazine. “We want (this championship) to have an even greater purpose in what happens inside the ropes and what happens outside of the ropes,” USGA CEO and former LPGA Tour commissioner Mike Whan said in announcing the changes last week. “We want to take this championship to the places that young girls dream about today and dream about 20 years from today. We want to create a purse that captures your attention at the same time and sends a message to young girls all around the world that think this is a pursuit they want to follow.” This year’s Women’s Open will be the fourth hosted by Pine Needles, the resort founded by the legendary Hall of Famer Peggy Kirk Bell. Annika Sorenstam won the first in 1996, followed by Karrie Webb in 2001 and Cristie Kerr in 2007. In addition to Kaymer in 2014, MiSee U.S. OPEN, page 2
Two Republicans in race to succeed McNeill By Matt Mercer North State Journal CARTHAGE — Republican State Rep. Allen McNeill’s (R-Randolph) announcement that he would not seek re-election in the N.C. House of Representatives in the 2022 election has drawn two candidates to succeed him in the state house seat covering much of Randolph and Moore counties. The 2021 redistricting session changed the boundaries of District 78, shedding some precincts in eastern Randolph County and adding much of western Moore County including the village of Pinehurst. Both candidates who have announced their intention to run are Moore County residents. Neal Jackson, pastor of Beulah Baptist Church in Bennett, had filed for the seat before the state Supreme Court suspended candidate filing and moved the state’s primaries to May 17. Jackson, who was born in Pinehurst and lives in Robbins, has been the pastor at Beulah since 2009. He says his campaign is prolife, pro-family, and pro-freedom. “The strength of North Caroli-
na is the character of our people, sidering who would replace me not the size of our government. In- and if their values and conserdividuals, families, and communi- vative philosophy would match ties should be the ones that make the citizens I served. I am excitthe choices that affect them, not ed to know that Neal Jackson has a dictatorial government. I will stepped forward to meet this chalwork to return more decisions and lenge and am 100% satisfied that control to We the People,” he said he would do a great job representing the citizens of Randolph and in his campaign announcement. His campaign platform is also Moore,” McNeill told North State centered on supporting law en- Journal. “He is a close friend that I have forcement and he calls education one of the most important issues met with him through the years in the state. He says one of his to discuss issues, and I always apgoals would be to strengthen and preciate his thoughts and advice. expand the Opportunity Scholar- I wish him good luck and know that the citizens of Randolph and ship program. In 2020, Jackson and his wife, Moore would find Neal to be a Tracy, founded a residential group great representative who would home for children in foster care. serve them well.” The second Republican in the Jackson says his vision is to raise up 100 families in the community race for District 78 is Nick Picerno, who spent eight years on the to be foster parents. “The most important things in Moore County Commission from life are those closest to home: our 2008-2016. Picerno founded Southern faith, our family, and our freedoms. I will fight every day to pro- Software, which develops and tect traditional family values that sells software to local governare rooted in Biblical principles,” ments and law enforcement agencies, in 1988. He was born in Carsays Jackson. McNeill said the decision not to thage and currently lives in West seek re-election was difficult but End. backed Jackson in the race. Part of my hesitancy was con- See N.C. HOUSE, page 2
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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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WEEKLY CRIME LOG ♦ On January 6, 2022 sheriff’s investigators arrested Thomas Eugene Troyer Jr, age 60, of Robbins, North Carolina. Thomas Eugene Troyer Jr was charged with one count of Felony Cockfighting, 7 counts of Instigate Cruelty to Animals and was admitted to the Moore County Detention Center under a $2,500 unsecured bond pending a first court appearance in Moore County District Court on Thursday, January 27, 2022. ♦ On Wednesday, January 5, 2022 Sheriff’s investigators arrested Larry Bryant Pace Jr. , age 40, of Cameron, North Carolina. Pace Jr. was charged with one count of Felony Larceny, one count of Felony Possession of Stolen Goods/Property, and was issued a $5,000 unsecured bond pending a first court appearance in Moore County District Court on Wednesday, January 12, 2022. ♦ On January 5, 2022, Deputies with the Moore County Sheriff’s Office conducted a drug investigation in the 100 block of Skyline Estates Drive in Vass. During the investigation, Deputies seized cocaine, a firearm, and items of drug paraphernalia. The arrests were made as a result of the investigation.
U.S. OPEN from page 1 chael Campbell in 2005 and Payne Stewart in 1999 were the champions of Pinehurst’s previous Men’s Open. Stewart’s win, earned by a single stroke over Phil Mickleson just four months before his tragic death in a private plane crash, has become one of the most iconic in golf history. A statue commemorating his victory celebration stands only a few feet behind the 18th green on which he sank his winning putt. The fact that the back-toback Men’s and Women’s Opens in 2029 will take place on the 30th anniversary of Stewart’s triumph only adds to the significance of the occasion. “There will certainly be a few tears shed over those two weeks, but the feeling of joy as the best players in the world converge on one of the world’s great golf courses will be overwhelming,” Pinehurst president Tom Pashley said in a statement. “No one wants to wish away time, but to say we can’t wait for 2029 would be a historic understatement.”
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School board reinstates mask mandate, bids farewell to superintendent
lic discussion and debate.” Board chair Pam Thompson said she agreed, in part, with Hensley that the list might need to be changed. “I think we need to have a list of potential attributes, as Mr. Hensley said, that we are looking for,” said Thompson. “Having someone who understands our goals of student academic achievement as well as equity factors — and I don’t think either one of those are more important than the other — I think we can have a list of top five or six where all of the items are equally important.” Levy recommended eliminating the list for the job advertisement saying that “we’re going to have a very spirited discussion one day on who the superintendent ought to be but that discussion of the attributes of the superintendent probably shouldn’t take place today.” The board agreed without further debate and the list of attributes was eliminated from the job posting and O’Rourke said his team would move forward in advertising the position to potential candidates. At the business meeting, which started at 6:30pm, the board acknowledged its month-
ly “Engage Inspire Succeed” honorees which included certified staff member Molly Walsh of Crain’s Creek Middle School; support staffer Victoria Reyes of Southern Middle School; and Pinecrest High School student Sarah Holder. Kimberly Fielder-Jones of North Moore High School was recognized for receiving the 2021 NCTC K-12 Theatre Arts Educator Award. The board also provided a tribute to Grimesey as the January business meeting would be his last as superintendent. The board also took action on its COVID-19 Management plan which includes a mandatory vote each month on the status of masks in schools. Members Stacey Caldwell and Philip Holmes were absent from the meeting leaving five members voting. The board voted 3-2 to reinstate the mask mandate for all students, staff and visitors. Thompson was joined by Libby Carter and Ed Dennison in support of reinstating the mask mandate. Hensley and Levy voted to keep masks optional. The board did modify its proposed mask mandate following a suggested amendment by Hensley. The board’s new approved policy states that students, faculty and staff who test positive for COVID are out of school for 10 calendar days. Persons who are exposed to COVID who do not exhibit symptoms may return to school if they wear a mask. In a statement posted after the meeting, the board said the move was “due to the rising number of positive COVID cases and related quarantines resulting from the omicron variant.” The release also clarified that masks are required on school buses. Exceptions to the mask rule are while eating or drinking, and when outside.
In 2018, he was appointed to the N.C. Lottery Commission by N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) and he serves on the commission’s Finance and Audit committee. No Democrats have announced a campaign for the seat, which leans Republican in previous voting history.
McNeill, who retired from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department before he was appointed to the N.C. House seat in 2012, is serving his fifth full term in the House after replacing longtime Randolph County representative and former state House Speaker Harold Brubaker.
North State Journal Staff CARTHAGE — The Moore County School Board voted 3-2 to reinstate a mask mandate for students, teachers, staff and visitors at its regular business meeting Monday. The board also met for a work session Monday ahead of its business meeting with the search for a new superintendent topping that agenda. Superintendent Bob Grimesey announced his intention to retire in October of 2021 with January 31, 2022, as his final day. The board heard an update on the search for a new superintendent from Jim O’Rourke from the N.C. School Boards Association which has been retained by the board to conduct the search for a permanent superintendent. Dr. Tim Locklair, who currently serves as the Chief Officer for Academic and Student Support Services, will serve as the interim superintendent effective February 1, 2022. During its midday work session, the board discussed a list of attributes on the job posting for the next superintendent with O’Rourke. Members David Hensley and Bob Levy questioned O’Rourke about the list. “I would like the next superintendent to make his own list,” said Levy. “I think it is important that we come up with a handful of bullets stating what attributes we’re looking for,” said Hensley. “If the number one thing is understanding equity factors, then that’s what we are going to get. If the number one thing is significant improvement of academic performance and the building of young men and women of character … then we’re going to get a superintendent that’s focused on those. We do need to have this section in there but as a board, we need to agree on what those are and that’s a pub-
N.C. HOUSE from page 1 Picerno spent five years as the chairman of the Moore County Commission during his two terms on the board. In addition to his time on the board, he was a district director of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners.
FILE PHOTO
Superintendent Bob Grimesey.
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happening Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Moore County: WEDNESDAYS IN JANUARY Curry Nights at The Sly Fox Pub 4:30pm-9pm Each Wednesday in Jan., the Sly Fox will host a “Curry Night” featuring curry appetizers and entrees.
Jan. 9-28 Instructors Exhibit noon-3pm The Artists League of the Sandhills will host their 2022 Instructors Exhibit. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday at the Exchange Street Gallery, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen.
Jan. 21 Whiskey Pines at Pinehurst Brewing Co. 8pm Local band Whiskey Pines will perform at Pinehurst Brewing.
Jan. 25 An Evening of Motown 6pm The Moore County Republican Women and N.C. Black Conservative Voices present an evening of Motown’s greatest hits. Featuring a live performance by Gabriel Bello, the event benefits the Frederick Douglas Foundation. More information and tickets available at mrwnc.org.
Feb. 8 Chocolate Making 11am-noon Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Scott Hasemeir, owner of V Form Chocolate in Pinehurst will demonstrate how he makes his delectable creations. He will also have chocolates to purchase for your Valentines’ gifts. The free event is hosted by the Sandhills Horticultural Gardens. More information at sandhills.edu.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
OPINION
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Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor VISUAL VOICES
COLUMN | ROBERT BORTINS
Free markets produce better outcomes The things you used to buy, you can’t find; and if you can find it, you can’t afford it.
INFLATION is when your hard-earned dollars buy less than what they did in the past. If you had $100 in your pocket on Jan. 1 of 2020, it will only purchase $94 worth of goods on Jan. 1 of 2022. In March of 2021, I called a friend who sells used cars in the Triangle about vehicle prices spiking. He replied, “Don’t worry. The federal government says it is transitory.” I told him it wasn’t. Now the government is telling us that the supply chain will be fixed soon, and things will return to normal in 2022. I’ve worked in the supply-chain industry. I am a minority owner in multiple businesses, across multiple industries, and I know that wholesale prices have increased higher than consumer inflation. We’ve spent nearly two years under an economy managed by the government with things getting progressively worse. It’s time for the government to step aside so the American people can begin moving beyond this mess. First let’s review the outcomes of a centrally managed economy. You may have seen the news in November, that inflation has spiked to 6.8%, energy prices are up 33.3% and food prices are up 6.1%, according to the consumer price index (CPI). Over the years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics had changed the way they measure and report inflation. Older CPI models, like those used in the Jimmy Carter days, today would show an overall calculation of approximately 15% inflation, which would be around a 50-year high. This increase is not taking into consideration the Dollar Store and General Mills announcement of consumer price increases of 25% and 20% starting in January. These increases disproportionately impact the poor and middle class. I’ve noticed it around town lately as well. Local restaurants can’t get staff. The quantity of food on the plates has noticeably decreased, the available menu items have shrunk and prices are starting to rise. The businesses in which I am involved have seen wholesale prices spike. So far, we have been able to absorb those increases. While business owners do not like increasing prices to consumers, rising costs cannot be absorbed indefinitely. Our food vendor says the trucks are starting to move, but they can’t
find people to unload them. Meanwhile, the current administration is creating additional risk to business owners through mandates and regulatory burdens on top of risks that are already facing in the economy. If you ever talked to a financial adviser, they tell you that if you take on more risk in your portfolio you need to have opportunity for more reward. Meanwhile Washington prints trillions of dollars that our children and grandchildren will have to pay off. The most troubling policies driving inflation are those on American energy. Efficiently using energy is the greatest way to build wealth and protect yourself. From war, where those with the most powerful weapons win, to economies where the switch from candles and fireplaces to electricity and A/C units brought in an economic boom for the U.S. Policies currently coming out of D.C. aim to increase the cost of energy. That cost will be absorbed by the end user, you. When the cost of oil leases goes up, that is a permanent increase in the cost of gas, paving roads and providing goods and services — and those prices are paid by you. Businesses are unwilling to invest in products actively attacked by big government bureaucrats, and since those industries are closely tied to the supply chain, you will see inflation and the lack of available goods to continue well into 2023. Prior to a government-managed economy spurned on by the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw income inequality narrowing in the first three years of the Trump presidency, according to Federal Reserve data released on Monday Sept. 28, 2020. We experienced the economic empowerment of policies that trust Americans. Now we’ve seen the pain a government-managed economy puts on its people. Inflation is at a 50-year high, the supply chain is a mess and our debt levels have risen to near-catastrophic levels. Income inequality continues to increase. The things you used to buy, you can’t find; and if you can find it, you can’t afford it. 2022 is an election year. We need to elect leaders, from local to national offices, who believe in the free market and will let people make decisions that are best for themselves and their families. Make Americans free again, and we will bounce back. But until that time arises, be prepared for the pain of inflation.
COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO
The Democrats’ exploitation of Jan 6 gives away their game “Every Day Is January 6 now. The Capitol riot continues in statehouses across the country, in a bloodless, legalized form that no police officer can arrest and that no prosecutor can try in court.” The New York Times editorialized
THIS YEAR, Jan. 6 was commemorated with all the ballyhoo and rigamarole Democrats and their media allies could muster. CNN did an entire special around the anniversary, titled “Live from the Capitol: January 6th, One Year Later”; the show featured the “heroes who protected our democracy in the face of an insurrection,” and included interviews with such luminaries as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and January 6 Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris commemorated Jan. 6 with special remarks, and Pelosi organized a bevy of events in memory of the riot. Now, you might ask yourself just why Jan. 6 merits such outsized attention. One need not downplay the events — the horrifying image of rioters bashing police officers with metal poles, storming through the halls of Congress shouting for Mike Pence — in order to recognize Jan. 6 for what it was: an ugly but not pivotal moment in American history. The event resulted in one direct death — rioter Ashli Babbitt was shot by a Capitol police officer — and some $1.5 million in property damage to the Capitol building; the Capitol was cleared within hours of the riot, and Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promptly presided over the certification of the 2020 election. Those who broke into the Capitol or even trespassed have ended up in jail. Meanwhile, by contrast, the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020 resulted in some $2 billion in insured property damage (and likely billions more in uninsured property damage), two dozen people died, and the resultant political movement against the police led to an unprecedented nationwide spike in homicides in major cities. To date, there have been no commemorations from CNN, speeches from Biden or Harris, or a day honoring the police officers who held rioters in check. So, what lies behind the Democratic-media obsession with Jan. 6? Political opportunism. Democrats aren’t even hiding the ball. Facing the ever-likelier prospect of a 2022 midterm wipeout, Democrats have
hit on a strategy: they have to rig the electoral rules and overthrow traditional democratic institutions in order to stop Republicans from rigging the electoral rules and overthrowing traditional democratic institutions. Jan. 6, to opportunistic Democrats, is the all-purpose excuse to use the entire weight of their party to push for a radical revision of Senate rules and federal elections. As Politico reported this week, “Democrats are hoping that Thursday will be more than just a day of remembrance. In the Senate, we hear from well-positioned sources, there’s a desire to take the opportunity to supercharge the party’s long-stalled voting rights legislation — possibly even using the anniversary to try to get Sens. Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, to go nuclear on the filibuster or embrace rules changes.” Yes, the electoral village must be burned in order to stop future events similar to Jan. 6. As The New York Times editorialized, “Every Day Is January 6 Now,” arguing, “the Capitol riot continues in statehouses across the country, in a bloodless, legalized form that no police officer can arrest and that no prosecutor can try in court.” The only plausible response is to federalize election procedures constitutionally given to the states, to mandate the corrupt practice of ballot harvesting, to mandate long periods of early voting and universal absentee ballots, to loosen voter verification, and much more. All because of Jan. 6. Or, perhaps, because Democrats can read the writing on the wall. They know that November 2022 cometh, and that right soon. And they hope that if they invoke the specter of Jan. 6 repeatedly, Americans will shrug and allow them to usurp authority, violate rules, and rewrite voting procedure. It won’t work. But it should reveal to Americans just who Democrats are and how little they actually care about Jan. 6 in the first place. Ben Shapiro, 37, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com.
North State Journal for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
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obituaries
Thomas David Eilert October 8, 1936 January 8, 2022
Thomas David Eilert, 85, of Apex, NC, and a long-time resident of Seven Lakes, passed away Saturday, January 8th, 2022. Born in 1936 in Teaneck, NJ to Joseph Floyd Eilert and Eleanor Ripley, he was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, Joe and Bob, and his wife of 45 years, Judith. He is survived by his daughters, Donna Lyons of Warwick RI and Cathy Eilert (Doreen) of Norcross GA, and his sons David (Michelle) of Cary NC, Jamie (Beth) of Southern Pines NC, and Harry (April) of Pinehurst NC plus his granddaughter Angela Eilert, his grandsons Dan and Wil Lyons, Sam and Owen Eilert, and his great-granddaughter, Everleigh Lyons plus his brothers and sisters-in -laws, cousins, and many nieces and nephews.
Melvyn Lawrence Tucker
Lorraine Marie (Minotte) Anderson
June 26, 1937 - January 7, 2022 Lorraine Marie (Minotte) Anderson, a resident at Penick Village passed away on January 7, 2022, after suffering from Alzheimer’s for several years. Born in Beaver Falls, PA on June 6, 1937, the younger daughter of two to William Minotte and Teresa (Myers) Minotte, she graduated from Apollo, PA High School in 1955 and moved to Washington, DC where she worked as a legal secretary until meeting and marrying her husband, Thomas Anderson. She was preceded in death by her parents, her older sister, Marlene (Minotte) Dunmire all of Apollo, PA and her oldest child, William John Anderson of Aberdeen, NC. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Thomas Anderson, her daughter Tracey B. Anderson, both of Pinehurst, NC and three grandchildren Katana B. Lemelin of Jackson Springs, NC, Steven C. Lemelin and Alana L. Lemelin (both of Pinehurst, NC).
January 19, 1936 January 7, 2022
Larry Tucker, 85, of Southern Pines, NC left us, surrounded by his family on January 7, 2022. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years Gail, son Ricky (Elaine), and daughter Toni (Randy). He is also survived by 4 grandchildren and 3 greatgrandchildren. No services are planned at this time, but we appreciate your love and support.
Lewis Melvin Metts
Darrell Ray Marks December 12, 1948 January 6, 2022
Darrell Ray Marks, 73, of Foxfire Village, died peacefully on January 6, 2022. Darrell was born December 12, 1948, in Hope Mills, to Jacqueline and Edward “Maxie” Marks. He was the baby of six siblings and the youngest of “those Marks boys.” Darrell was predeceased by his mother, Jackie Marks, formerly of Foxfire Village, and his wife, Susan, who passed away in June. He is survived by his daughters, Kelly Marks (Terrell Russell), of Chapel Hill, and Corey Deese (Josh), of Pembroke, and his six grandchildren Joshua, Kaili, Hunter and Madisyn Deese and Eli and Owen Russell. He is remembered by his siblings, Patricia Wingler of Halifax, VA; Carolyn Johnson of Houston, TX; Jimmie Marks (Ann) of Sugarland, TX; Richard Marks (Diane) of Browns Summit, NC; and David Marks of Aberdeen, NC; by family friend Chelcey Parker and her children Camree and Cobie; as well as a host of in-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
June 3, 1942 - January 6, 2022 Lewis Melvin Metts, age 79 of Pinehurst, passed away on January 6, 2022, at Pinehurst Health and Rehabilitation Center. Born on June 3, 1942, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania to Norman and Violet Metts. Lewis proudly served in the US Navy in submarine service upon the USS Thornback and the USS Haddo. The Navy moved him to numerous places on the east coast during his service. He is survived by two children, Diana Lynn Metts and Michael Metts (Leigh Ann); brother, Harold Metts; also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Beverly Gaye Traudt Doerr Jan 9th, 2022
Gary Franklin Edmisten October 13, 1962 January 5, 2022
Gary Franklin Edmisten, age 57, passed away on January 5, 2022, at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital. Born on October 13, 1962, in Moore County to the late Grealy and June Edmisten. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brothers, Grealy Eugene Edmisten, Jr. and Roger Wayne Edmisten. He is survived by his loving wife, Doris Edmisten; three children, Angela and James Quincey, Christen Ussery, and Dustin and Lynn Spangler; brothers and sisters, Roy Edmisten (Tina Riley), Garrett Edmisten (Su Wadkins), Melisha Townsend (Billy) and Janet Puerta (George); grandchildren, Cord, Charlie, Andrew, Jamison, Jonathan, Cassidy, Dawson, Maddilynn, Dakota, Alex and Brennan; also survived by four great grandchildren, River, Savannah, Layla, and Winston.
Andris “Andy” Mergins
March 11, 1931 - January 5, 2022 Andris “Andy” Mergins , 90, died Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at Pinehurst Nursing and Rehab center in Pinehurst. He was born 3/11/31 in Riga, Latvia to Anna and Janis Mergins. He arrived in US at the age of 17, became a US citizen and joined the US Army. He later graduated from Rider University. He married Joan Durling and celebrated 63 years of marriage. He and Joan lived for many years in New Jersey. Andy was a strong quiet man who dearly loved his family. He is survived by his wife Joan, daughter Sandra Mergins O’Donnell and husband Jim of Pinehurst, son Craig Mergins and wife Catherine of Hartford, CT, grandchildren Andrew, Kayleigh, Nicholas and Maya. He was preceded in death by his brother Girts
Beverly Gaye Traudt Doerr, 84, of Pinehusrt, passed unexpectedly at her home on Sunday, January 9th. Born in Buffalo, NY on Oct. 27, 1937, she was the daughter of the late William F. and Sylvia Pattenden Traudt, Jr. Beverly grew up in Kenmore New York and married Robert S. Bober on May 12, 1957. Beverly was a devoted and loving mother of three children. She was very involved in all of their activities including; sports, Scouts and the local PTA. Beverly retired in Pinehurst NC in 1990 where she enjoyed playing golf, tennis and socializing with friends. Beverly is survived by her three children, Wendy Avery and husband Preston of Conway SC; John Bober and wife Ramona of Viera Fl; Jill Yang and husband Harold Soer of Pinehurst NC; six grandchildren, Joshua Avery and wife Cassey; Grayson Avery; Kelsey Avery; Shelby Avery and partner Zack Kruis; Evan Yang and wife Sierra; Myles Yang and their father Frank Yang. Beverly is also the great grandmother of Benjamin and Samuel Kruis. A celebration of Beverly’s life will be announced at a later date. Online condolences may be made at www.bolesfuneralhome. com Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Pinehurst.
Howard Lee Marks, Jr. Jan. 5th, 2022
John Edward Olsen March 19, 1932 January 4, 2022
John “Jack” Edward Olsen, 89, of Foxfire Village, passed on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at the FirstHealth Hospice House in West End North Carolina. Jack was born March 19, 1932 in Philadelphia, PA to the late David and Helen Parker Olsen. He attended Carson Long Military Academy, in New Bloomfield PA. Upon graduating high school, Jack enlisted in the army and served 3 years during the Korean War. Jack is survived by his wife of 62 years, Bernadine Yasick Olsen; two daughters, Bonnie (Tom) Page and Robin Olsen (Tom Bosler) and two grandchildren, Marissa Bosler and Matthew Bosler.
Howard Lee Marks, Jr., 54, of Sanford, passed suddenly, surrounded by his family on Wednesday, January 5th at the Central Carolina Hospital. Born in Sanford on March 8, 1967, he was the son of Mary Lee Fallen Marks and the late Howard Lee Marks. Howard grew up in Harnett County and graduated from West Harnett High School, class of 1985. He had a love for cars and as a young man, started a career as a mechanic. Howard is survived by his wife, Melinda Moore Marks. He was the father of Cody Lee Marks, Ryan Owen Marks, Anna Bree Marks and Devon Giles (Amber). He was the brother of Brenda Bettis (Allen), Chris Marks (Jody), Selena Marks, Danielle Bond and Bob Bond. Howard is also survived by his mother, Mrs. Mary Lee Fallen Marks, 3 grandchildren: Makayla, Andy and Logan, and his step – mother Scottie (Ellen) Marks. The family will receive friends at the Miller – Boles Funeral Home, 1150 Fire Tower Rd. Sanford, on Friday, Jan 14th from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. A celebration of his life will be held at Center United Methodist Church, 4141 South Plank Rd., Sanford on Sunday, Jan. 16th at 2:00 pm.
Proudly supporting you every step of the way on your grief journey. www.bolesfuneralhome.com Locations in: Southern Pines | Pinehurst | Seven Lakes